Belted Sweater - Cherry Grove single
Release date: January 17th 2025
Artist Information
- Label: Self Versed Records + Softseed Music
- Genre: Queercore / Industrial / Skramz
- Hometown: Los Angeles, CA
- RIYL:Xiu Xiu, Nine Inch Nails, Le Shok, Ministry
Biography
Christopher Patrick Gregory of Belted Sweater is pissed. You can hear that on Belted Sweater’s self-titled sophomore album. It’s a one-man car crash between a metalcore band and a synth-pop band. Vitriol rarely sounds this exhilarating.
For his latest, the LA-based artist looks inward and outward to deliver potent social commentary. Belted Sweater is out February 21st, and it is a joint release between Self Versed Records and Softseed Records, an imprint of Zegema Beach Records. The album will be preceded by the single, “Cherry Grove,” out January 17th.
“This album is about what I see and what I want to see in the LGBT community,” reveals Christopher. “The first eight songs on this album are kind of about me lamenting what I see as the mainstream gay community's move to the center. The last song is using my own experiences, full of joy and love, as the reason I want it to be more radical—to push for more social change against right wing headwinds.”
Christopher is a virtuosic and in-demand drummer whose dexterous chops, and versatility serve a bevy of mathcore, synth-pop, punk, metal, shoegaze, and indie-rock bands. With Belted Sweater, a name pinched from math-rock pioneers, Don Caballero, he carves out a singular identity with scrubbed-raw vocals, shreddy drums, miasmic guitars, dancey beats, and day-glow synth melodies. “I love Erasure and The Dillinger Escape Plan,” Christopher says.
Christopher produced Belted Sweater and played guitar, bass, synths, drums, and did all the harsh vocals. He got mountainous drum sounds recording at Steve Albini’s (RIP) iconic studio, Electrical Audio. J. Robbins of Jawbox mixed the album.
The single, “Cherry Grove,” is a glorious example of Belted Sweater’s dichotomous screamo/pop sensibility. Pummeling, Broken Social Scene-style drums and abrasive vocals represent one polarity, while anthemic synth-pop melodies rep the other. Cut through the middle are noisy Kevin Shields-esque guitars.
Cherry Grove is a burning missive aimed at anti-trans gay men. At its core, it speaks to a marginalized population co-opted by mainstream culture. “How can gay men, who have historically been victims of discrimination, violence, and a lack of legal protections, be so quick to throw a whole set of the queer community under the bus now when they get a semblance of ‘normalcy’?,” Christopher asks. Christopher’s words seethe with punk rock directness. He sings: Insured white gays complacent / Gluttons for middle management / Silent and comfortable / While trans kids can’t get jobs / P-town,Complicit. For the song’s big choruses, Christopher is joined by fellow musicians from bands such as Vs Self, Osker, Signal Hill, the Manx, and Roman Graves.
Recent Press
- Punknews
- Flood Magazine
- Chorus.fm
- Out Front Magazine
- Brooklyn Vegan
- Idioteq
- If It's Too Loud
- Skope
- Return of Rock
- Punkeando!
- Hardbeat
- Global Texan Chronicles
- Analogue Trash
- Metal Junkbox
- Setlist
- Underground n' Proud
- Tinnitist
- Girl At The Rock Shows
- Global Texan Chronicles
- The Whole Kameese
- Underground n' Proud
Upcoming Shows
- January 19th // Fullerton, CA // Programme
- February 15th // Riverside, CA // Back to the Grind
- February 16th // San Diego, CA // The Che Cafe
- February 17th // Fresno, CA // Sour Milk
- February 18th // Eureka, CA // Savage Henry's
- February 19th // Portland, OR // Turn! Turn! Turn!
- February 20th // Eugene, OR // Winery 255 Madison
- February 21st // Berkeley, CA // 924 Gilman
- February 22nd // Los Angeles, CA // The Smell
Listen (or download here)
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