REVIEW: Movements Cruise Into New Territories on Latest Single ‘Cherry Thrill'
Orange County post-hardcore band Movements are back with new single ‘Cherry Thrill.’ This follows up ‘Barbed Wire Body’, which dropped in early spring. This new track overhauls the boundaries of what a Movements song can be both sonically and lyrically, making this one of their most experimental, and consequently exciting, releases.
“Cherry Thrill '' steers away from the band’s signature harsh vocals, explosive choruses, and atmospheric elements. The band had to say of the track: “As this band has grown and changed, so have our tastes. We wanted to find a way to step out of our usual writing style and explore a new sonic wave, while still maintaining the core of what this band has always been.” The song is stripped down to mellow guitars (Ira George) and cymbals (Spencer York), with its bass line (Austin Cressey) adding a groove that goes down smooth. Plainly put, it’s sexy, and as the lyrics even state, hypnotizing. The bassy elements can be heard from the intro, transitioning from muffled drums into that bass groove, which adds an almost sultry dancibility, perfect for a night out on the town or on the road. Patrick Miranda showcases his vocal range on the track, employing a breathiness on each verse that both emphasizes the bass and the speaker’s longing for another person. He reaches higher notes on the chorus, adding to the song’s poignancy and passion. The song swells at the end, reprising the chorus and its lyrics, and piling on the intensity of this speaker’s desire.
“Cherry Thrill’s” subject matter is also a first for Movements. Patrick Miranda notes that “this was the first song that I decided to write that has absolutely nothing to do with an actual experience in my life. It's fully fictional. The idea is essentially a modern-day Bonnie & Clyde story. The narrator of the song is describing his undying, over-the-top love for their partner … The phrase 'Cherry Thrill' was my way of describing a sort of thirst for blood or a desire for chaos, but also the love and sensuality of the relationship between the characters.”
The lyrics blur the line between lust and bloodlust. While it has lyrics like “one robs the bank, one drives the car,” doubling down on the criminal motif, there are many lines that can either reference how skillful they are with their work, or the sensuousness of their relationship. “They way you move so expertly” can be the speaker observing how good this person is at their work, or being a general attraction to them. Additionally, “fill my head with diamond rings” could be the speaker comparing their partner to luxury goods, or them tempting each other to steal those very goods for the thrill of it. These dual meanings add richness to the lyrics, and immerse listeners in the internal and external world of this character. This speaker also takes his love to the extreme, claiming “everyone else is dead to me” and centering his life around this person to a catastrophic extent. The lyrics even suggest his partner will be his demise with the line “you look so fit to kill,” while also admiring that side of them.
Movements have pushed limits with every release, and ‘Cherry Thrill’ puts that on full display, with a track that features some of the band’s most gentle instrumentals, yet some of their most pointed and intense lyrics about romantic desire. The band are rounding out 2022 in massive ways, and what's next will surely be just as captivating.
