Cherie Amour’s ‘Spiritual Ascension’ Soars

Cherie Amour burst out the gate last year with the indelible “Burn.” Their seamless fusion of post-hardcore intensity and R&B melodicism emerged fully-formed. On their impressive debut Spiritual Ascension, the Baltimore quartet more than realizes the potential showcased in those early singles.

Over the course of the full set, the band gives themselves permission to explore the extremes of each of their sonic palettes. From the classic hardcore of “On Deck” to the hook-filled (and band name spawning) “Love’s Not Your Thing,” Trey Miller and company show off a variety and versatility rare in the DIY scene. The band’s casual dismissal of the very concept of genre is invigorating. They toy with industrial vibes with “Sin City” and the album-highlight “Losing Control.” They color in the margins with bubbling synths on “Low n Lean” and “Mind’s Eye.”

For a band who so trade so effortlessly in larger-than-life sing-along choruses, it’s surprising that the band’s biggest triumphs come from the record’s more introspective back half. The title track gives Miller the space to look inward, and in the process deliver his strongest vocal performance on the record. While the closer “In My Head” turns the synths and vocal glitches that hide in the album’s shadows into the focal point to stunning effect. For an album with so many stadium-sized hooks and riffs to close on such a delicate thought takes some serious confidence. In the end, the synths fizzle out into silence the same way they came in. Spiritual Ascension is a record you need to give yourself a moment to breathe after it ends.

Catch Cherie Amour on tour this far and winter. For more info, find them on socials @cherieamourband.