Cherub (song)

"Cherub" is a song by Australian indie rock band Ball Park Music, released on 27 August 2020 as the third and final single from their sixth studio album Ball Park Music (2020).

"Cherub"
Single by Ball Park Music
from the album Ball Park Music
Released27 August 2020
Recorded2019–2020
Genre
Length5:28
LabelPrawn Records
Songwriter(s)Sam Cromack
Ball Park Music singles chronology
"Day & Age"
(2020)		 "Cherub"
(2020)

"Cherub" polled at number 4 on Triple J's 2020 Triple J Hottest 100,[1] and was consider a favourite to reach number one.[2]

Background

In a press release, frontman Sam Cromack discussed how the song came to exist, stating:

"The main tune had been kicking around for years and it was Dean who implored me to develop it into a song. A chorus came together pretty quickly. It was pure escapism; it felt easy to imagine a character who runs away and rips a phone number from a flyer to start a new life. The song was building with a very optimistic tone, but it didn’t feel quite right. It felt off-balance, too starry-eyed. The platypus was waiting for the Queen. I sat by the water for a long time with no verses."[3]

"Cherub" is notably the longest song the band have ever written,[4] which caused the band to consider never releasing it.[5]

Recording

"Cherub" has existed as a demo prior to the song's creation, which Sam Cromack discussed in an interview with Jaxsta's Rod Yates, stating:

"Like a lot of songwriters, my voice memo app is full of ideas. This was one I kept coming back to. I had the verse melody and the little ditty on guitar that matches it, and I also had that chorus lyric. It was Dean [Hanson, guitar] who was like, 'There’s something special about that, you’ve got to finish that song.'".[6]

The song was recorded alongside the rest of the album from late 2019 to early 2020.[7]

Composition

An indie folk[8] and indie rock[9] "slow burner",[10] "Cherub" begins with "acoustic guitars and layered vocals"[9] before "gradually build[ing] to a glorious peak".[11]

The song discusses "personal growth" and "when you're feeling like you're not your best self and not wanting to be a burden on the people around you."[6] The song's build was partially inspired by the Middle East's song "Blood".[12]

Critical reception

Music Feeds called the song a "slow-burner that’s deceptively sunny" and praised "its delicate guitars and understated keyboards".[13]

The Newcastle Herald described the song as "the album's torch-waving moment" and labelled it as the album's answer to "Exactly How You Are".[8]

Beat Magazine labelled the song "Beatles-esque.[14]

Music video

An accompanying music video was released on 27 August 2020, directed by the band's guitarist Dean Hanson.[9]

Synopsis

Rolling Stone Australia stated the music video shows "uplifting footage of butterflies in their natural habitat, reflecting the sunny disposition and feeling of freedom that the track seems to evoke within its listeners."[9]

Reception

Triple J's Al Newstead felt the music video to be "suitably idyllic".[11]

Live performances

On 11 September 2020, Ball Park Music performed "Cherub" live from their studio "Prawn Records HQ", which NME Australia premiered exclusively.[15]

On 23 October 2020, the band performed the song live for Triple J's Like a Version segment, additionally performing a cover of Radiohead's "Paranoid Android".[16]

On 21 December 2020, the band performed the song live for Australian live music program The Sound.[17]

Credits and personnel

Adapted from the parent album's liner notes.[18]

Ball Park Music – writing, production, recording

  • Sam Cromack – vocals, guitars
  • Jennifer Boyce – vocals, bass
  • Daniel Hanson – drums, tambourine, vocals
  • Dean Hanson – guitar, vocals
  • Paul Furness – piano, synthesisers, trombone, vocals

Other musicians

  • Paul McKercher – mixing
  • William Bowden – mastering

Charts
Chart performance for "Cherub"
Chart (2021) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[19] 52

References
  1. Carmody, Broede (23 January 2021). "Heat Waves by Glass Animals tops triple J's Hottest 100". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 30 January 2021.
  2. Langford, Jackson (10 December 2020). "The songs most likely to win the Hottest 100 of 2020". Music Feeds. Retrieved 30 January 2021.
  3. Martin, Josh (27 August 2020). "Ball Park Music share tender new single 'Cherub'". NME Australia. Retrieved 30 January 2021.
  4. Martin, Josh (23 April 2020). "Not so sunny after all: An update on Ball Park Music's new album from isolation". NME Australia. Retrieved 30 January 2021.
  5. Langford, Jackson (25 January 2021). "Ball Park Music say there was a "strong possibility" they weren't going to release 'Cherub'". NME Australia. Retrieved 30 January 2021.
  6. Yates, Rod (12 November 2020). "Ball Park Music: The Stories Behind The Songs". Jaxsta. Retrieved 30 January 2021.
  7. Martin, Josh (23 April 2020). "Not so sunny after all: An update on Ball Park Music's new album from isolation". NME Australia. Retrieved 30 January 2021.
  8. Leeson, Josh (15 October 2020). "Review: Ball Park Music, Ball Park Music affirm their status as Australia's loveliest band with their new self-titled album". The Newcastle Herald. Retrieved 30 January 2021.
  9. Jenke, Tyler (27 August 2020). "Ball Park Music share slow-burning new single, 'Cherub'". Rolling Stone Australia. Retrieved 30 January 2021.
  10. Gallagher, Alex (25 January 2021). "Ball Park Music say they deliberated over whether or not to release 'Cherub'". Music Feeds. Retrieved 30 January 2021.
  11. Newstead, Al (27 August 2020). "First Spin: Ball Park Music share gorgeous slow-burner 'Cherub'". Triple J. Retrieved 30 January 2021.
  12. Gera, Amar (28 October 2020). "'Every feeling is there' – Ball Park Music talk latest album, live music & growth". Life Without Andy. Retrieved 30 January 2021.
  13. Gallagher, Alex (27 August 2020). "Ball Park Music are three for three with new single 'Cherub'". Music Feeds. Retrieved 30 January 2021.
  14. Kaya, Selin Ruby (22 October 2020). "Ball Park Music affirm their status as Australia's loveliest band with their new self-titled album". Beat Magazine. Retrieved 30 January 2021.
  15. Gwee, Karen (11 September 2020). "Watch Ball Park Music play 'Cherub' live from their studio". NME Australia. Retrieved 30 January 2021.
  16. Bruce, Jasper (23 October 2020). "Ball Park Music cover a Radiohead classic for triple j's Like a Version". NME Australia. Retrieved 30 January 2021.
  17. "Series 2, Episode 8: Making Gravy Christmas Special". ABC iView. Retrieved 30 January 2021.
  18. Ball Park Music (booklet). Ball Park Music. Prawn Records / Inertia Music. 2020. 9332727108426.CS1 maint: others (link)
  19. "The ARIA Report: Week Commencing 1 February 2021". The ARIA Report. No. 1613. Australian Recording Industry Association. 1 February 2021. p. 4.
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