Cheeky were a short-lived Brooklyn band who existed between 2007 and 2009, who helped established the indie-punk sound that took off in the 2010s, and whose members went on to form other notable bands in that style. Vocalist/guitarist Kate Eldridge went on to front Big Eyes, drummer/vocalist Angie Boylan was in Aye Nako (among many other bands including Sleater-Kinney), and guitarist Brian Schleyer played alongside future Swearin' co-vocalist Kyle Gilbridge in Big Soda before joining Kevin Morby and Cassie Ramone's band The Babies.

The band have been broken up for a decade, but the music they released still holds up, so it's good news that they've just put out a discography compilation, Freaky Deaky: The Cheeky Discography, featuring 20 songs newly remastered by Jack Shirley (Jeff Rosenstock, Deafheaven, etc). It includes their 2007 EP Choke on a Cheeseburger, their 2009 LP What the Heck (which Jarrett of Screaming Females included in his top 10 of that year), the songs from their split with Tenement, three live recordings, a Slingshot Dakota cover, and more. It's a great document of this band's career, and you can stream the whole thing below and pick a vinyl copy from Jeff Rosenstock's Really Records. The artwork (pictured above) was designed by bassist/vocalist Kate Wadkins.

Jeff Rosenstock writes:

YEAAAAAAH FREAKY DEAKY: THE COMPLETE CHEEKY DISCOGRAPHY IS OUT TODAY ON REALLY RECORDS!!! LINK IN PROFILE! We’ve been working on this one all pandemic long and I’m excited that it’s finally here! This is a great record and you will like it!

If ya don’t know, Cheeky were a Long Island & Brooklyn-based band that were active from 2007 – 2010(?) They were one of the first Quote Unquote releases and also one of my favorite bands! They played very good poppy punk songs fast and loud, throwing middle fingers at toxic jerks ruining punk spaces and singing songs about days when the world just feels like absolute shit and you don’t want to do anything – doing it all with a sense of humor that eschewed any hipster snob bullshit. Bomb the Music Industry! played with them a bunch and I saw them every chance I could get, mostly at DIY spots and apartment shows around Brooklyn where everyone in the room was singing along loudly with a big smile on their face.

In 2019 while moving across the country, I was hoping to listen to their LP What The Heck? on my cellular telephone and was having a hard time finding it. It was a LONG drive, so Christine and I started talking about how sick it would be if all of Cheeky’s songs were just on ONE LP. Operation Ivy did it! So did Minor Threat! And Charles Bronson! WHY NOT CHEEKY?!?! Their music holds up just as well today as it did then and honestly it’d be a tragedy if it got lost to the sands o’ time.

So I sent a text to Cheeky bass player/my birthday twin/teen Long Island ska pal Kate Wadkins and 18 months and one pandemic later HERE WE ARE AT FREAKY DEAKY. All the Cheeky songs you wanna listen to, freshly remastered by Jack Shirley, on a limited blue vinyl pressing with a big ol’ collage insert and digital streaming services so you can stick it in your pocket and listen to it on the go! Wow! Tech!!

I’m really excited for Cheeky fans to have this one, I’m really excited for Cheeky n00bz to discover their new favorite punk band and I’m really excited for myself that this record exists because now I can listen to all these songs in one place! Hope you like it, and if ya like it freakin tell everybody baby!!!! OK BYEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

Credits
Tracks 1-5 from “Choke on a Cheeseburger” (Freedom School Records / Quote Unquote Records, 2007)
– Recorded by Phil Douglas in Huntington, NY

Tracks 6, 7 from “Art of the Underground Single Series” (Art of the Underground Records, 2008). Track 7 written by Slingshot Dakota
– Recorded by Mike Hunchback & Hunchback Craig in Brooklyn, NY

Tracks 8-15 from "What the Heck" (Freedom School Records. 2009)
– Recorded by Chris Pierce in Milltown, NJ

Tracks 16, 17 from “Tenement / Cheeky Split” (Let’s Pretend Records / No Breaks Records, 2012)
– Recorded by Chris Pierce in Milltown, NJ

Tracks 18-20 from "Live at The Boneyard" (Self-Released cassette tape, 2008)
– Recorded by Kathi Ko in Brooklyn, NY

All tracks remastered by Jack Shirley, 2020

Cover art & album layout by Kate Wadkins