Inspired by the Runaways and the Spice Girls in equal measure, Nasty Cherry deliver a savvy mix of snarling rock and pop hooks. The Netflix show I'm with the Band documented the Los Angeles group's early days, while EPs such as 2019's Season 1 and 2021's The Movie spanned the tough and vulnerable sides of their music.

Featuring lead singer Gabby Bechtel, guitarist Chloe Chaidez, bassist Georgia Somary, and drummer Debbie Knox-Hewson, Nasty Cherry formed in 2018 when Charli XCX suggested that Knox-Hewson -- who was Charli's drummer during the Sucker era -- put together an all-female rock band. Knox-Hewson recruited her friend Somary, a set decorator whose credits include Star Wars: Episode VIII: The Last Jedi who learned to play bass when the band formed, and Chaidez, who also fronts the like-minded band Kitten. When they added Bechtel, a model/photographer/dancer as well as singer, the lineup was complete. Nasty Cherry then signed to XCX's Vroom Vroom Recordings label and spent several months writing songs with her, using touchstones like The Craft and Heathers as well as the music of the Strokes and the Cure as inspiration. In March 2019, the band released its debut single "Win," which was produced by another XCX collaborator, Justin Raisen. Several more singles, including "What Do You Like About Me" and "Music with Your Dad," preceded the November 2019 premiere of the Netflix docuseries I'm with the Band, which traced Nasty Cherry's formation and creative process. That month also saw the release of Season 1, an EP featuring some of the band's previously released singles as well as songs they developed on the show. For July 2020's electro-pop-tinged Season 2 EP, Nasty Cherry worked with 100 gecs' Dylan Brady. The band returned in April 2021 with The Movie EP, a softer, more revealing set of songs. ~ Heather Phares, Rovi