Pom Pom Squad’s
debut record is a mix of power grunge, new wave punk, and kitschy glam. After a
disorientating floaty intro (a refrain that recurs), first track proper
‘Head Cheerleader’ crashes in, recalling Hole at their best, and taking
no prisoners. ‘Shame Reactions’ heads
even further down the punk trail, verging on hardcore, whereas ‘Drunk
Voicemail’ is all about the grunge. But there’s also a romantic (or sometimes
perhaps anti-romantic) streak running through Death of a Cheerleader,
with bandleader Mia Berrin at times slowing things down and reflecting via the
medium of the 60s ballad. ‘This Couldn’t Happen’ is sweet, sad and slight,
and ‘Crying’ is a disarming guitar lament. The result is a record that shifts – without ever veering – from its
rockier centre to something much more sedate and deliberate, and then shifts back
again. The lyrics, too, range from the
throwaway to the nuanced, covering both standard teenage angst and considered ruminations
on the transition to adulthood. At 23, Berrin is a songwriter to watch.