Pom Pom Squad is an American

indie rock Indie rock is a Music subgenre, subgenre of rock music that originated in the United Kingdom, United States and New Zealand in the early to mid-1980s. Although the term was originally used to describe rock music released through independent reco ...

grunge Grunge (sometimes referred to as the Seattle sound) is an alternative rock Music genre, genre and subculture that emerged during the in the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington, particularly in Seattle and Music of Olympia, Washington, O ...

band from

Brooklyn Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

, New York. It is the solo project of

frontwoman The lead vocalist in popular music is typically the member of a group or band whose voice is the most prominent melody in a performance where multiple voices may be heard. The lead singer sets their voice against the accompaniment parts of the ...

Mia Berrin, and features permanent members Shelby Keller (drums), Alex Mercuri (guitar) and Lauren Marquez (bass and keys). They released the extended plays ''Hate It Here'' in 2018 and ''Ow'' in 2019 before releasing their debut studio album '' Death of a Cheerleader'' in 2021. They toured extensively in the years following, opening for musicians

Pvris Pvris (pronounced "Paris" and stylized PVRIS) is an American pop rock band formed in Lowell, Massachusetts in 2012. Following several lineup changes, the band is now composed solely of frontwoman Lynn Gunn. Pvris has released four studio LPs: ...

and

Bartees Strange Bartees Leon Cox Jr. (born 1989), known professionally as Bartees Strange, is an English-born American musician. Strange was born in Ipswich, England, raised in Mustang, Oklahoma, and is based in Baltimore, Maryland. Early life Strange was bo ...

before releasing their second album ''Mirror Starts Moving Without Me'' in 2024 to positive reviews.

History

Origins, ''Hate it Here'' and ''Ow'' EPs (2015–2017)

Mia Berrin was born and raised on

Long Island, New York Long Island is a densely populated continental island in southeastern New York (state), New York state, extending into the Atlantic Ocean. It constitutes a significant share of the New York metropolitan area in both population and land are ...

, grew up in

Detroit, Michigan Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...

, and attended a private high school in

Orlando, Florida Orlando ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Orange County, Florida, United States. The city proper had a population of 307,573 at the 2020 census, making it the fourth-most populous city in Florida behind Jacksonville, Florida, Jacksonville ...

. She began Pom Pom Squad when she was eighteen years old. She soon moved to New York City to attend

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private university, private research university in New York City, New York, United States. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded in 1832 by Albert Gallatin as a Nondenominational ...

, where she performed solo under the name Pom Pom Squad and studied at the Clive Davis Institute. She also began performing with an early iteration of the band, with whom she released the EP ''Hate It Here'' in 2017. Berrin is of

African-American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from any of the Black racial groups of Africa. ...

and Puerto Rican descent,

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

, and identifies as

queer ''Queer'' is an umbrella term for people who are non-heterosexual or non- cisgender. Originally meaning or , ''queer'' came to be used pejoratively against LGBTQ people in the late 19th century. From the late 1980s, queer activists began to ...

. She is outspoken about the influence her identity has on her music. Berrin later met bassist Mari Alé Figeman and drummer Shelby Keller at club show and reformed the band. Alex Mercuri became the permanent fourth member. Pom Pom Squad released their EP ''Ow'' in September 2019. The band built critical buzz during this time and were booked for multiple SXSW showcases as well as supporting tour dates with

the Front Bottoms The Front Bottoms are an American rock band from Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey, formed in 2006. They are currently a duo consisting of lead vocalist and guitarist Brian Sella and drummer Mat Uychich. During live performances, they are currently ac ...

and Disq; these dates in 2020 were ultimately cancelled due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

. During 2020, Pom Pom Squad released a series of covers and an original single, "Red with Love."

''Death of a Cheerleader'' (2021–2023)

On March 2, 2021, it was announced that Pom Pom Squad had signed with the Berlin

independent label An independent record label (or indie label) is a record label that operates without the funding or distribution of major record labels; they are a type of small- to medium-sized enterprise, or SME. The labels and artists are often represente ...

City Slang City Slang is an independent record label based in Berlin, Germany. History The independent music label City Slang was founded in 1990 as a European outpost for American indie rock. Thirty years later, the imprint represents a diverse roster o ...

. With the announcement, the band released the single "Lux." They announced their first full-length album '' Death of a Cheerleader'', produced by Sarah Tudzin of

Illuminati Hotties Illuminati Hotties are an American indie rock band from Los Angeles, California, created and fronted by producer, mixer, and audio engineer Sarah Tudzin. History Sarah Tudzin began her career in music as a recording engineer. The Illuminati Hot ...

, and shared the single "Head Cheerleader" in April, followed by the third and final single "Crying". ''Death of a Cheerleader'' was released on June 25, 2021. In 2022, Pom Pom Squad toured alongside Illuminati Hotties and Fenne Lily before embarking on the Death of a Cheerleader tour. They played an NPR Tiny Desk Concert at SXSW and performed as the opening act for PUP and

. Their song "Shame Reactions" was featured on the soundtrack for the teen comedy film ''

Do Revenge ''Do Revenge'' is a 2022 American teen black comedy film directed by Jennifer Kaytin Robinson, who co-wrote the screenplay with Celeste Ballard. It stars Camila Mendes, Maya Hawke, Austin Abrams, Talia Ryder, Rish Shah, and Sarah Michelle Gella ...

''. In 2023, Pom Pom Squad served as the opening act for the Godless/Goddess Tour, which was co-headlined by

and

Poppy A poppy is a flowering plant in the subfamily Papaveroideae of the family Papaveraceae. Poppies are herbaceous plants, often grown for their colourful flowers. One species of poppy, '' Papaver somniferum'', is the source of the narcotic drug ...

''Mirror Starts Moving Without Me'' (2024–present)

In June 2024, Pom Pom Squad released their single "Downhill." It was the band's first release of new music since 2021. On July 30, the single "Spinning" was released, and the band's upcoming album ''Mirror Starts Moving Without Me'' was announced. '' Mirror Starts Moving Without Me'' was recorded at

Electric Lady Studios Electric Lady Studios is a recording studio in Greenwich Village, New York City. It was commissioned by rock musician Jimi Hendrix in 1968 and designed by architect John Storyk and audio engineer Eddie Kramer. It was completed by 1970. Hendrix ...

and inspired by "the endless feedback and expectations" Berrin experienced after releasing ''Death of a Cheerleader'' and a crisis of self. For the album Berrin adopted a darker aesthetic, influenced by

video games A video game or computer game is an electronic game that involves interaction with a user interface or input device (such as a joystick, game controller, controller, computer keyboard, keyboard, or motion sensing device) to generate visual fe ...

anime is a Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, , in Japan and in Ja ...

and the 1951

Disney The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment industry, entertainment conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios (Burbank), Walt Di ...

film ''

Alice in Wonderland ''Alice's Adventures in Wonderland'' (also known as ''Alice in Wonderland'') is an 1865 English Children's literature, children's novel by Lewis Carroll, a mathematics university don, don at the University of Oxford. It details the story of a ...

'', and cited

disco Disco is a music genre, genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the late 1960s from the United States' urban nightclub, nightlife, particularly in African Americans, African-American, Italian-Americans, Italian-American, LGBTQ ...

and

Prince A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. The ...

as influencing the album's sound. ''Mirror Starts Moving Without Me'' was released on October 25, 2024, to positive reviews. Josh Korngut of ''

Exclaim! ''Exclaim!'' is a Canadian music and entertainment publisher based in Toronto, which features coverage of new music across all genres with a special focus on Canadian and emerging artists. The monthly ''Exclaim!'' print magazine publishes seven ...

'' awarded the release an 8/10 rating for "deconstructing postmodern grunge pop and embracing nostalgia with a sharp, contemporary edge." The band will embark on the Mirror Ball Tour in 2025.

Members

* Mia Berrin – lead vocals, guitar * Shelby Keller – drums * Alex Mercuri – guitar * Lauren Marquez – bass Touring members * Alina Sloan – bass Former members * Ethan Sass – guitar * Mari Alé Figeman – bass * Camellia Hartman – touring violin, backing vocals * Daisy Spencer – touring bass

Discography

Adapted from Bandcamp.

Studio albums

*'' Death of a Cheerleader'' (2021) *''Mirror Starts Moving Without Me'' (2024)

EPs

* ''Hate It Here'' (2018) * ''Ow'' (2019)

Singles

*"Hate It Here" (2018) *"Heavy Heavy" (2019) *"Honeysuckle" (2019) *"Cherry Blossom" (2019) *"

Cellophane Cellophane is a thin, transparent sheet made of regenerated cellulose. Its low permeability to air, oils, greases, bacteria, and liquid water makes it useful for food packaging. Cellophane is highly permeable to water vapour, but may be coate ...

" (

FKA Twigs Tahliah Debrett Barnett (born 16 January 1988), known professionally as FKA Twigs (stylized as FKA twigs), is an English singer, songwriter, record producer, actor, and dancer. She was a backup dancer for numerous musicians, and made her musica ...

cover) (2020) *"Red with Love" (2020) *" Crimson + Clover" (

Tommy James and the Shondells Tommy James and the Shondells is an American rock band formed in Niles, Michigan, in 1964. The band has had two No. 1 singles in the U.S.: " Hanky Panky" (1966), the band's only RIAA Certified Gold record, and "Crimson and Clover" (1969). The ...

cover) (2020) * "Hello Santa Claus" (2020) *"Lux" (2021) *"Head Cheerleader" (2021) *"Crying" (2021) *"Until It Stops" (2021) *" Popular" (

Nada Surf Nada Surf is an American alternative rock band formed in New York City in 1992, consisting of Matthew Caws (guitar, vocals), Ira Elliot (drums), and Daniel Lorca (bass, backing vocals). After initially operating under the name Helicopter, Caw ...

cover) (2021) *"Downhill" (2024) *"Spinning" (2024) *”Street Fighter” (2024)

As featured artist

*" Trip Around the Sun" (

MisterWives MisterWives are an American indie pop band based in New York City, consisting of lead singer Mandy Lee (Amanda Lee Duffy), drummer and percussionist Etienne Bowler, bass guitarist William Hehir, guitarist Marc Campbell, and keyboardist and saxo ...

feat. Pom Pom Squad)

Covers

In 2020, Pom Pom Squad released their version of "

Crimson and Clover "Crimson and Clover" is a 1968 song by American rock band Tommy James and the Shondells. Written by the duo of Tommy James and drummer Peter Lucia Jr., it was intended as a change in direction of the group's sound and composition. "Crimson an ...

" and donated all of the proceeds to For the Gworls Medical Fund. It was featured in episode 5 of the 2022 ''

Willow Willows, also called sallows and osiers, of the genus ''Salix'', comprise around 350 species (plus numerous hybrids) of typically deciduous trees and shrubs, found primarily on moist soils in cold and temperate regions. Most species are known ...

''. The band released the single "Until It Stops" in November 2021 as part of

Spotify Spotify (; ) is a List of companies of Sweden, Swedish Music streaming service, audio streaming and media service provider founded on 23 April 2006 by Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon. , it is one of the largest providers of music streaming services ...

's Fresh Finds program. In December 2021, the band released a cover of

's hit " Popular," featuring their vocalist/guitarist

Matthew Caws Matthew Rorison Caws (born August 5, 1967) is an American singer, songwriter and guitarist. He is best known as the lead vocalist and guitarist of the alternative rock band Nada Surf. Caws is also a member of the indie rock duo Minor Alps, alon ...

on backing vocals. The accompanying video replicated Nada Surf's 1996 video shot for shot, with Berrin playing each of the major characters. Pom Pom Squad's video was filmed at the same location as the original video.{{cite web, date=December 15, 2021, last=Vozick-Levinson, first=Simon, title=Pom Pom Squad's Remake of Nada Surf's 'Popular' Is the High-School Satire of the Year, url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/pom-pom-squad-nada-surf-popular-1269458/, access-date=December 16, 2021, website=

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...

The band has also covered "

" by FKA Twigs.

References

Musical groups from Brooklyn Riot grrrl bands American alternative rock groups American queer musicians City Slang artists