In a career which now sees the band, after almost fifty years’ existence, very much in the veteran class, Cheap Trick have somehow always managed to straddle the line between pop and rock, with power chords mixed in with a gift for melodic flair and their penchant for the absurd, as witnessed on closing track, the almost McCartney-ish ‘Wham Boom Bang‘ – “when she walks in, she has the wham boom bang”… what this might be!
2025 sees the Trick marking their almost 50th anniversary with a new album, their 22nd, and it’s a collection of relatively short power-pop pieces, with their sixties influences still evident. These tracks are unlikely to appeal to you if you’re hunting for the heavier end of the rock spectrum, but will resonate if you prefer rock songs over maximum riffage.
If the Beach Boys are America’s pop band, Cheap Trick are probably America’s rock band, given they rock, albeit unthreateningly. Their raison d’être is still all about power pop, as indicated by the opening title track ‘All Washed Up‘. The playing is crisp, it’s rocky and fast-paced but without being in your face. Live at Budokan (1978) rocketed them into mass acceptance with their brand of infectious, energetic rock, and they’ve never strayed too far from what they know how to do best, as shown on ‘The Riff That Won’t Quit‘, which is short and punchy and guitar-driven by Rick Nielsen, with Robin Zander sounding like a more tuneful Vince Neil. Similarly, ‘Rocking With The Band‘ is an upbeat rocker straight from the Trick playbook which sounds like it’s being played live.
But Cheap Trick aren’t just about power pop. They can hit the power ballads equally adeptly. The mawkishly sentimental ‘The Best Thing‘, with its heartfelt lyrics, is a lovely piece and could be a Top 20 hit. Similarly, tracks like ‘Bad Blood‘ and ‘Love Gone‘ – “where has the love gone, we can no longer find it” – show their sentimental side.
For a band well into their veteran stage, Cheap Trick deserve to be commended for making the effort with this new album. They could just as easily have gone through the motions and churned something, anything, out but instead, they’ve come up with something which will resonate positively with you if you’re already in their corner. They’re not all washed up just yet.
