Free at Noon Flashback: Cherry fills World Cafe Live with its sunny sounds

Cherry | photo by Liz Waldie for WXPN

The winter weather is finally setting in. My coffee got so cold during my 15-minute walk to XPN HQ this morning that I had to stop for another coffee. And with snow in the forecast this weekend, it’s hard to fight the instinct to wrap up in a blanket and never move.

Cherry, however, came to Free at Noon prepared to fight off the cold with their laid-back, fuzzed-out, and all-around beachy and chill vibes. The band was up first for today’s Free at Noon doubleheader, bringing with them the relaxed vibes of their new LP Dumbness. Their set, though short, eased the crowd into a vibrant afternoon of Philly tunes, which included fellow members of the Lame-O Records family Slaughter Beach, Dog — it was the perfect way to take shelter from the winter winds.

The World Cafe Live stage isn’t Cherry’s usual scene, though. The five-piece — made up of some multi-talented Philly music scene veterans, including former Kite Party frontman Russell Edling, Lame-O Records’ Eric Osman, and Three Man Cannon’s Spenser Colmbs — have made their way around the DIY circuit since making their debut with the Gloom EP last year. Edling joked during the band’s set that this sure wasn’t a basement show, yet Cherry’s music seemed to speak to every facet of the wide spectrum of XPN listeners in attendance.

Maybe that’s because tackling vivid real-life themes of youth and adulthood is what Cherry does best. After opening with Dumbness‘s soft and reflective title track, Cherry launched into the driven and compelling melodic nostalgia of “Waterfalls.” The band kept up a steady pace throughout their five-song set, but standout track “Under The Sun” is what really drew listeners in, living up to its title sunny undertones, but paired with hazy memories of days gone by.

Read The Key’s interview with Russell Edling and listen to Dumbness here. Check out photos from Cherry’s set and listen back to the audio below.