“Demoncore” by Cheerless has been my earworm this very grey, wet and downer of a December. Smack in the middle of their new five-song EP, anchored with a spiraling forlorn mood, you’ll find this ‘janky’ booty-swagger of a tune with big, sweaty bass and slappy beats. Yes, I just said that… okay, well, Charlie said the ‘janky’ part but… To my ear “Demoncore” is different than other songs in the Cheerless catalogue, so I asked them about it.
Is there a short story, idea or concept behind your song "Demoncore"?
Charlie: Kinda, the song describes the testing of nuclear materials used to make early fission/fusion bombs. The 'Demon Core' in question was an orb of fissile material which caused multiple accidents and fatalities. Truth be told, the instrumentation came first and the janky, off-kilter dance beat sounded to me like it needed a new esoteric subgenre, so what better than Demoncore?
What is the common thread running through the songs of the EP?
Charlie: Honestly, there isn't one. I am far more driven by chord structure, melody and texture than lyrics, and to me these five records work together aesthetically rather than thematically.
This is the band's first EP, correct? How does that feel? What's the feedback been so far?
Charlie: Yep! Feels great, especially given this is the first set of recordings with live drums, and the production process (all DIY) was easier, quicker and more satisfying than our previous releases. The reception has been very encouraging and makes me excited to work on new records.
How about the illustration used for the EP and singles - can you tell us about it?
Dan: Our friend Peony Gent is an illustrator and we really wanted to get her in to do the art for the EP. We didn’t give her much direction beyond having her listen to the ep a few times and let her create whatever she wanted. She gave us a few images to pick from and we went with what we think best reflects the band and the EP, more vibes than thematically like Charlie said.
There are several songs in the Cheerless catalogue titled by a number, the latest being "27" on the EP, but others include "102" and "003" - what's logic at work here, or is it a secret?
Charlie: One of my favourite sci-fi books is Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? which most people will be more familiar with it's film adaptation, Bladerunner. However, an element in the book which is not present in the film is a device called a 'Mood Organ', which allows the user to dial in a number and immediately experience an emotion, or mood. I loved this idea, and felt the numbered settings, or 'dials' describe the feeling a song conveys much better than a title ever could, and in the book are described as follows:
888: Creates the desire to watch TV no matter what is on
481: Awareness of the manifold possibilities open to me in the future
594: Pleased acknowledgment of husband’s superior wisdom in all matters
382: Emotional detachment
100: Creative and fresh attitude toward my job
103: Businesslike professional attitude
003: Creates the desire to dial (the song about wanting to feel something)
102: Self-accusatory depression
Regarding 27, again, the song was constructed instrumentally prior to lyrics being written. Simply put, it was a placeholder at first as it's a number that I like for a variety of reasons, but the eventual meaning of the lyrics that Dan wrote fit the title well so we kept it.
"102" is a song with a mood that I find captivating - it feels quite down and I like the way the guitar plays out, closing the tune out with two last minutes of sad glimmer. What is the story behind this song?
Dan: I’d recently quit alcohol and the song is an exploration of thoughts and feelings that bubbled up during that initial period of sobriety. You don’t realise how much you need to adapt your life and the feelings that go with it - a lot more spare time on your hands and boredom being two of the main ones, and the lyrics address trying to cope with both of those.
What can listeners expect from Cheerless in 2025?
Charlie: I don't like to put a timeline on stuff, as I think that can lead to things feeling forced. However I think we have pretty solid ideas for another four or five records in the works, and we tend to play new songs live for a few months before recording in order to bed in the feel and energy of the song before we commit it to record. I'm quite eager to explore some more production techniques and styles, and Dan has been working with me to create a few slightly different pieces which I hope will help broaden our sound a bit.
Otherwise we hope to do a lot more gigs, and possibly getting on the road again as we had such a great time touring with our friends in Toothpaste earlier this year!
Cheerless is based in London, so look for gigs if you’re in town. Also, you can pay what you like for the Cheerless EP over at Bandcamp or grab a Cheerless t-shirt with artwork by Peony Gent.
Thanks to James for coordinating with me on this.