Cheer Up - "Sleep Debt"

12" / CD / Digital Released: September 21st, 2018 Nicholas Holdorf has been tangled in two Philadelphia rat races for years. The first is obvious — it's a 9-to-5 grind which then loops into the second, a stacked multi-instrumental resume from a handful of area bands, including No Thank You and In the Pines. One might think this dual-gig economy might leave Holdorf cashed out and exhausted, but after years of cobbling together home recordings as Cheer Up, selecting the best bits, and entering the studio with long-time friends Evan Bernard and Kaytee Della Monica, Nick's latest outing is ready. Appropriately, it's called Sleep Debt, and as such, it shows indie rock that burns at both ends. Guitar lines unfold past their point of comfort, with churning percussion and Holdorf's simmering vocals in tow. There are moments of rest on the record, but they're scattered throughout like moments spent nodding off in between driving shifts. it's in this delicate balance between breathing room and