Charm School’s edgy and frantic guitar lines that run through “Cherry Red” gives the song an unsettling and chaotic quality. Like a manic, desperate repeating scream of guitar alongside another riff of pulsing, distorted bursts creating an asymmetrical rhythm that comes together in moments while the vocals almost deadpan seem to paint the picture of someone debauched and corrupt who stumbles into their comeuppance or into their accumulated consequences of a life ill lived. Altogether the song sounds nightmarish and fever dream-like at once ending on roaring whorls of sound and shouts of the chorus of “I’ll be what fucks you up!” The song has the intensity and sonic violence of a hardcore song but its tonal choices and structure is more unorthodox and more in the realm of the likes of noise rock bands like Chat Pile and Mclusky in both sound and substance. Listen to “Cherry Red” on Spotify and follow Louisville, Kentucky’s Charm School at the links below. The band’s new album Debt Forever is out January 21, 2025 on limited colored vinyl, digital download and streaming.
Queen City Sounds and Art 
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