An Eccentric New Art-punk Record That Hilariously Combats Societal Exhaustion With Wry Humor

Weird Music Wednesday: “There Is a God” by Cheekface

Aug 12, 2026

Cheekface has built a reputation on making existential dread sound like an animated backyard barbecue. The Los Angeles trio—fronted by the deadpan delivery of Greg Katz and the anchoring bass grooves of Amanda Keeles—specializes in talk-sing indie rock that feels like doomscrolling through a group chat full of your wittiest, most sarcastic friends. With Podium, the band continues their relentless streak of socially observant, rhythm-driven art-punk, refining the chaotic bouncy energy that defined previous releases like Therapy Island and Emphatically Yes. Where those earlier records captured the raw, DIY shock of modern mundane absurdities, Podium feels like a slightly more polished, yet equally unhinged, next chapter for a band that treats catchy melodies like Trojan horses for observations on late-stage capitalism and modernity in general.

To call Podium “weird” is to understand that Cheekface operates in a universe where conventional rock music rules are suggestions at best. The record sounds bizarre not because it relies on ambient noise or twenty-minute prog-rock freakouts, but because it weaponizes bright, bouncy indie-pop instrumentation against sardonic lyrics that present like an adult panic attack at a child’s birthday party. The guitars jangle with cheerful urgency while the bass lines swagger along like they have somewhere important to be, completely ignoring the fact that the vocals are shouting about societal collapse. It is an album built on stark juxtapositions: punchy, danceable beats paired with lyrics that sound like hyper-specific diary entries. Compared to their earlier work, Podium tightens the screws; the hooks are sharper, the production is punchier, and the overall evolution shows a band leaning fully into their unique lane of sarcastic pop rock.

Amidst an album already populated by delightfully odd sonic choices, “There Is a God” easily takes the title as the strangest creature in the terrarium. The track stands out because it takes the band’s signature deadpan delivery and drops it straight into a contemplative theological funhouse. Musically, it operates with an unpredictable, jagged gait, featuring a bouncy rhythm section that contrasts sharply with the sheer absurdity of the lyrical premises unfolding over top of it. While other tracks on Podium offer comfortable, sarcastic singalong choruses to latch onto, “There Is a God” swerves into stranger territory with its erratic structure and off-kilter arrangements. It is bizarre in the best way possible—a track that somehow makes pondering the grand mechanics of the universe sound like an awkward conversation at a bus stop. And you… You are also there.