Nasty Cherry
If you’ve been anywhere near Charli XCX’s socials for the last few months, you’re likely to recognise the name Nasty Cherry. Having teased them on her Twitter and Instagram, the four-piece transatlantic group came about following Charli’s master plan to create a girl band. Calling on her musical mates, she recruited her own former drummer Debbie Knox-Hewson and fellow Brit bassist Georgia Somary alongside US pals Gabriette Bechtel and guitarist Chloe Chaidez to put her scheme into action.
Instantly bonding as soon as they met and with tons of hype online - so much so that even Halsey took to Twitter to ask “Who the fuck are Nasty Cherry?” - the group sold out LA’s Moroccan Lounge before any music had even been heard. “People really got behind the project and the concept,” singer Gabi says, detailing the fortunate side effect of having one of the biggest pop artists in the world openly Stan your band. “And also with Charli, I think when she hit me up about the idea of the band and the fact that she had a vision for it, I knew that it would be cool. It made me want to get involved; if she gets behind something, people expect it to be good.”
And so Nasty Cherry was officially born, introducing themselves to the world on New Year’s Day with a tweet proclaiming ‘WE’RE NASTY CHERRY AND WE’RE THE BEST BAND OF 2019’. With only two tracks released to date – the snarling pop of debut ‘Win’, complete with Gabi’s take-no-shit vocals and lyrics about not being a walkover, and sultry shoe-gaze bop ‘What Do You Like In Me?’ - it might be a slightly lofty assertion, but with each small milestone, they’re inching closer to that goal. Yes, they might have the backing of a few famous mates, but there’s audible talent behind the Twitter frenzy too.
Both of these early releases are hard-hitting songs that pack a punch; with them, the girls explain, they’re aiming to empower people through their music. “I completely opened my internal diary and wrote about things that I probably told no one about,” Gabi nods. “That was a freeing experience for me, and maybe it helped other people listening to the music feel that way.”
Keeping quiet about what’s next (bar the fact that it’s “really exciting”), Nasty Cherry might be staying cagey for now but there’s little doubt that the self-styled ‘band of the year’ have got some equally big plans. If you’re still questioning who the fuck they are, it’s time to start cribbing up.
DIY Magazine July 2019 Issue
