Pom Pom Squad – Death of a Cheerleader

With debut album Death of a Cheerleader, Pom Pom Squad arrives as a band fully equipped at world building. Mia Berrin, the musician behind the project, solidifies the campy, angsty aesthetic that she’s been building in the years leading up to this debut. It’s grungey, lovesick pop-punk for indie rockers. (We can call it punk-pop if that’s more comfortable.)

Death of a Cheerleader works through familiar, long-loved ideas in the alternative rock world: punk rhythms, rushes of distorted guitar, and the occasional scream for good measure. “Head Cheerleader” sets that score straight early with its head bobbing pace and sticky, riff-backed chorus melody—listen close for a cameo by Tegan Quin of Tegan & Sara.

But Berrin comes at it with some new angles. Playing up a high school cheerleader ideal from mid-19th century America, she slyly incorporates elements of that era’s idyllic teen pop. Her penchant for theatrical drama, aesthetics, and adolescent heartache pushes the songs further over the top. Though the music leans toward ‘90s alt-rock, her influences here emphasize Phil Spector, Melanie Martinez, and Mitski.

If “Head Cheerleader” shows Pom Pom Squad capable of sending a hit straight up the middle, “Crying” shows greater ambition. That track opens with grand, Spector-esque strings but, in the chorus, sends them diving in deliciously eerie wails. “Forever,” an example of Berrin’s range as a songwriter, makes use of the iconic “Be My Baby” drumbeat in a string-backed ballad. She wades further into misty-eyed pop with “This Couldn’t Happen” (based off Doris Day’s version of “Again”) and “Be Good.”

Punkers need not be afraid though; much of Death of a Cheerleader favors edgier rock cuts. Standout “Lux” rages freely against patriarchal oppression, a recurring theme of the album. “I knew my body was not my own,” Berrin shouts. “I let myself get drunk on the idea that you loved me,” she eventually concludes as her band blazes along. That same stomping energy powers “Shame Reactions” and “Cake.”

Throughout the album, Berrin and co-producer Sarah Tudzin (Illuminati Hotties, Weyes Blood, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis) seem to be having a grand time. When the band gets big, the pair take the opportunity to pile in extra sounds. Pom Pom Squad’s take on Tommy James and The Shondelles’ classic track “Crimson and Clover” ends with a searing crescendo built of some unknown sounds right before a final tremolo-effected chorus fades down. “Cake” finds Berrin giggling and squealing with precise delivery.

Though the amped up tracks are easy victories, it’s Pom Pom Squad’s more adventurous moments that score best for the band. The ability to rock may win over the most listeners, but Berrin’s eclectic palette and over-the-top aesthetic will likely make Pom Pom Squad a band that continues to develop and grow.

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By Cameron Carr

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