There may be no band better suited to headlining a pizza place on a Sunday night than Cheem. On their 2022 LP, Guilty Pleasure, the Connecticut quintet made themselves avatars of shameless fun, building their brand of hyper pop punk the way you might build your own pie if the toppings were free—nu metal thrashing, boy band harmonies, record scratches, and breakcore drums? Sure, why not load up? Sam Nazaretian and Skye Holden vent their frustration with the demoralizing state of indie music—from the finances and the genre snobs to the social manipulators who prey on the scene—but it never dampens the hyper-melodic sugar rush. In other words, you can count on Cheem to blow off the last of your weekend steam, and if you want your own pizza pairing, make it something with pineapple. You won’t be able to hear the haters anyway. Cheem play at 9 p.m. on March 5 at Comet Ping Pong. cometpingpong.com. $18.54. —Taylor Ruckle
Cheem
