Put simply, Cheerbleederz are something on an indie-pop super group. Featuring members of Happy Accidents, Fresh and Finish Flag – they merge everything that’s brilliant about DIY indie-pop, and in Faceplant, they released one of the most unexpected debut EPs of last year.

“Phoebe, Sophie and I all play in other bands, but we run in the same circles,” explains guitarist Kathryn Woods—who also plays in punk quartet Fresh—of the bands inception. “Phoebe and I have toured together as Happy Accidents and Fresh, and Sophie is in a band called Finish Flag too, but we played in a band together briefly that was called Don’t Die (Dean from Doe’s project). Because we’re all the only women in our main bands, we decided to make a band that explores being women together.

“All our writing has been collaborative and quite spontaneous, and because we’re friends first and foremost, it all feels very natural and easy. We just want to have fun—that’s why we’re doing it! Our songs are vulnerable, sometimes quiet and sometimes loud. We’re writing and making music together without any expectations and it feels very freeing.”

Already boasting a fine pedigree of lo-fi underground hits between them, with their new project the trio have hit upon an instantly infectious brand of no-frills, melody-driven punk. Taking influence from the likes of The Breeders, Snail Mail, Dream Wife, Alvvays, Charly Bliss and Kississipi, their songs touch thoughtfully on the lived experiences of women and marginalised people.

Whether it’s examining the mundanity of love on ‘staying up late’, sounding a proactive rallying cry for traditionally marginalised voices to believe in their art on ‘don’t hesitate’, or the identifiable melancholy of ‘thinking of you’, cheerbleederz certainly seem to have found their own voices, and are using them loudly, proudly and in the honourable name of progress.