Review Summary: I hate your guts…
But wouldn’t want you to sleep on one of the darlings of the angsty emo-punk world. Sincere Engineer sounds like the name of a new tech repository or an off-brand GitHub clone. What they actually are is a Chicago quartet bringing a raw and reflective mix of pop-punk, folk, and emo to the scene. Fronted by Deanna Belos (vocals, guitar) who is one of the humblest, sincerest song writers on the planet. See what I did there? Cool. Started as a solo act she added Kyle Geib (lead), Nick Avanitis (bass, backing vocals), and Adam Beck (drums, backing vocals) to round out the band. Cheap Grills is the third full-length released under the Sincere Engineer name and represents the growing maturity of their musicianship and continual honesty of Deanna’s lyricism. Add in a decent amount of self-deprecating humor and unhinged violence and you have cheap grills.
Clocking in at just over 40 minutes, the 12 tracks meander along the various genre influences the band hold heart to. The first lines of Anemia introduce you to Belos and her acerbic, yet dulcet tones. It’s a little bit snotty, a little beet sweet, and a lot of genuineness. The opener is a mid-tempo jam with a killer melodic bridge, emo vibes, and one of the top tracks on the release. California King shifts directions slightly with a more positive musical tone over melancholy lyrics and a toned-down chorus. This one is also definitely a standout and is only outdone by the 5th tack on the release. Fireplace was my introduction to the band and reminds me (in the best ways) of another band out of Chicago,
Alkaline Trio.
“I hate your guts, wouldn’t help if you were stuck in some guy’s basement; and he was getting ready to chop you up. And I hate your face, wouldn’t even help you if he chased you down Belmont Ave, and threw your body in his fireplace”
Fantastic. The kind of bad-day song you want to crank up to a thousand and scream at people. What makes it even more fun is the trippy, funk musical breakdown before the bridge that shifts into the solo and then burns the whole damn thing down with a pit-worthy finish with Belos wailing “I get high off the thought of you on fire, it makes me smile when I feel blue.” 100% the stand out track here and worth a listen. The album is consistently fun and remarkable through the first 8 tracks. The latter part, the proverbial B-side to use an antiquated term loses some steam (though A Touch of Hell is really fun) compared to the bombast of the first five songs. The final song Blind Robin is a bittersweet ballad with just Belos, her acoustic, and a lovely string arrangement.
Sincere Engineer is poised for excellence, and I can personally vouch that their live shows are incredible. They prove here that even cheap grills can still cook.
