Pom Pom Squad announce debut LP (watch “Head Cheerleader” video)

Brooklyn band Pom Pom Squad recently signed to City Slang and released a new single, “Lux.” Now they’ve announced their debut LP, Death of a Cheerleader, due out June 25. It was produced by bandleader Mia Berrin and Sarah Tudzin of Illuminati Hotties, and you can see the cover art and tracklisting below.

They’ve also shared another new single from the album, “Head Cheerleader,” which features backing vocals from Tegan Quin of Tegan and Sara; watch the video for it below. Berrin says it “was an effort to lean into the overarching trope that makes Pom Pom Squad what it is – almost like parodying myself. Heart shaped lockets and scary cheerleaders and young adult chaos and self discovery and deep ungraceful discomfort. I was also in a really complicated relationship at the time that really pushed me to come face to face with my sexual identity in a way I never had before. I had this realization that the life I was living was designed around receiving attention and validation from men – something I never truly wanted. The result of that realization was like stepping out of an old skin. It changed the way I behaved in every aspect of my life. I was finally making decisions toward my own self actualization instead of for other people’s perception. It was terrifying and exciting and necessary. This song feels like a celebration of the discomfort that comes with stepping into your new skin – your own power.”

About the video, Berrin says, “The image of laying awake in a grave underneath plastic grass, a painted sky, and flowers growing from these creepy, textured structures seemed to represent what I wanted out of a full length – something fierce and funny, dreamy, dark, queer… I think the video marks a turning point in my project in the same way it marked a turning point in my life. The song is about accepting yourself radically – I think the video explores that through a really fun, campy lens.”

Pom Pom Squad – Death of a Cheerleader Tracklisting
Soundcheck
Head Cheerleader
Crying
Second That
Cake
Lux
Crimson + Clover
RWL
Forever
Shame Reactions
Drunk Voicemail
This Couldn’t Happen
Be Good
Thank You And Goodnight