Electro-pop duo Cherub is set to grace the stage of the Pearl Street Ballroom this Wednesday night, as it continues its “Champagne Showers Tour.” The Nashville-based band incorporates a mix of genres, ranging from R&B to ‘80s-style electronic pop. Cherub has released two full-length albums with Columbia Records and has continued to skyrocket in notability due to its seamless blend of the indie and pop persuasions.
Jason Huber and Jordan Kelley met while studying at Middle Tennessee State University. In 2010, they combined their musical talents and formed Cherub, which has drawn fans with its uplifting, danceable beats and catchy, relatable lyrics. Now, fresh off the success of its “Blow’d Tour,” which ended in May, the duo is bursting with musical energy, ready to pick up for round two.
Although Cherub has been producing music for four years, the band finally achieved wider recognition following the release of its 2014 hit single “Doses and Mimosas” in its debut album, “MoM & DaD.” The dance-party anthem reached the No. 43 spot on Billboard’s Rock Airplay and charted No. 23 on the Alternative Songs chart when it was released in February 2014. The single’s flashy music video, which has received more than 4 million views on YouTube, highlights both the artistic expression and comic genius of the musical duo.
However, Huber and Kelley are not always inclined to produce high-budget tracks or videos. In Cherub’s early years, Huber and Kelley both produced and released their own music as opposed to signing with a major record label. Although they have now signed with Columbia Records, the artists said that they still plan on retaining their creative freedom, as they are far more concerned with the music they make than the paycheck they receive from it.
Kelley and Huber continue to record and produce their tracks in a friend’s home studio in order to minimize the exponential costs that come with recording in a professional studio. Their instrumental and vocal skills, in addition to their strong keyboard and guitar playing, make them a powerful team.
The “Champagne Showers Tour” kicked off on Sept. 5, after the highly anticipated May release of the band’s second album with Columbia Records, “Year of the Caprese.” This album exhibits some building upon the previous dance, electro-pop vibes the band explored on both “MoM & DaD,” and their 2013 EP, “100 Bottles.” The addition of slower-paced songs and a succession of various instruments, with hints of R&B style lyrics and reggae beats, promote Huber and Kelley as intermixing masters of multiple genres.
Tracks like “Freaky Me, Freaky You,” and “Strip to This” exhibit some of Cherub’s new sounds, while its older releases have an intoxicating, poppy mix. The collaboration of the duo’s past and present sounds will make “Champagne Showers” an impossible show to miss.
Cherub will bring its irresistible catchiness and freeing beats to Pearl Street at 8 p.m. Wednesday, with openers Ghost Beach and Gibbz. Tickets are available for $15 in advance or $18 at the door.
Ruthann Barry can be reached at [email protected].
