Cheekface caught me completely off guard with their lyrical whimsy and the unequivocally carefree vibe on Emphatically No., an album that landed in my ten favorites of 2021. Nineteen months later, the Californian's are back with Too Much To Ask. 

Similar to Emphatically No. and clearly a product of the same minds, Too Much To Ask is undeniably more polished, tighter, and catchier. Coupled with Greg Katz doing far more singing as opposed to sprechgesang, this record paves a much clearer path toward bringing Cheekface to wider audiences. As with its predecessor, Too Much To Ask again has me listening with a near constant smirk on my face, chalk full of hilarious and absurd ruminations on everything from noodles to being an EDM singer to therapy. Many of the lines might seem like stream of conciseness throwaways or purely tongue in cheek, but often serve as wider commentaries and criticisms on modern American society. But in a serious world with serious problems, a little levity goes a long way.