Rating: NNN
It doesn’t get the attention it deserves, but Toronto has such a deep well of psych-rock that sometimes a band takes you totally by surprise. Meeko Cheech is the latest group to emerge from that stealthy landscape. Their five-song Motif EP strikes the right balance of crunchy riffs, catchy hooks and spacey psychedelic trippiness to leave you wanting more, or at least hitting repeat.
Opening track Wrecks sounds like Queens of the Stone Age if they stuck to their early muscular take on desert rock, while later tunes evoke artists like Lou Reed, the Dandy Warhols or anyone else who projects an air of effortless, sunglassed mystique. There’s a pronounced pop side to the band, too, though it occasionally gets lost under the pile of effects-enhanced explorations. Sure, Motif travels to a lot of places in just five songs, but it rarely loses its cool.
Top track: Wrecks
