Already Heard Track Guide: snake eyes – cash rich

Ever since emerging out of Brighton five years ago, snake eyes‘ manifesto has consisted of “don’t be a prick. share the love. no music on a dead planet, and let’s have a damn boogie.” It is a mindset that they stick to on their debut album, ‘cash rich’.

After fine-tuning their self-styled brand of “grit-pop” over the course of several EPs and singles, the duo of Jim Heffy (guitars/vocals) and Thomas Lisle Coe-Brooker (drums) have crafted an infectious album that is equally thought-provoking. At times. Heffy can be introspective, such as on album closer, ‘robot boy.’ Elsewhere, some songs show socio-political awareness (‘no cars,’ and ‘the kicker’) and deal with anxiety (‘hug me’).

Musically, Heffy and Coe-Brooker have produced an addictive collection of short, sharp songs that fizz with a mix of lo-fi aesthetic and a whole load of hooks. Whether that’s on the jangly ‘jar full of wasps,’ or on ‘hdtv’s sturdy, ticking breeze, or the Britpop haze of ‘i’m a daydream,’ snake eyes‘ sound is assured. When it’s all packaged together, they’re able to confidently use their platform positively, both lyrically and musically.

Jim Heffy recently broke down ‘cash rich’ track-by-track for Already Heard. Read on as snake eyes‘ vocalist and guitarist discusses the meanings behind the songs on their debut album, and tells us about some hidden guests.

jar full of wasps

the album opens with a look at my younger self and young friendships. it’s a song about bad friends and how you find your true mates as you get older. it’s about the kind of people who aren’t there for you when you need them, but pop up when they want something. get rid, fuck the haters.

no cars

‘no cars’ is a song about oil companies prioritising profits over the environment and not being held accountable. about those with true power choosing their wallets over our future. the measures put in place to alleviate emissions like ulez are nothing but a tax on poor people and achieve next to nothing. systemic change is due and the time is now.

the kicker

a 2-minute banger addressing my existential anxiety about the changes that need to be made for a better tomorrow. it’s written around environmental concerns and our collective responsibility to save our planet. rips though, don’t it?

hdtv

this is a song about finding comfort in the little things and is probably my personal favourite on the album. taking musical inspiration from lots of different places on this record has made it our most diverse output to date, and i feel ‘hdtv’ is a prime example. trumpets, vinyl scratching, cowbell… it’ll make ya feel better.

i’m a daydream

born out of lockdown blues, this song feels like a big throwback musically and lyrically. its about taking stock of personal progress and how it’s something that’s very easy to lose site of. it’s important to have self-belief and to appreciate yourself along the way. i still can’t believe we wrote a song this long, feels like an achievement.

slugs

‘slugs’ is more than a song to me, it’s a snapshot of time. it’s written about the first place i lived when i moved to brighton in 2019. it was an incredibly damp basement flat, and slugs would somehow find there way in. i’d tread on ’em when i’d get out of bed, find them crawling across the walls… they were everywhere. it’s a reminder of that time in my life and what would become the genesis of the band. It also features angelic backing vocals from our former bandmate Gab (Gaby Monaghan – petsematary, james and the cold gun).

hug me

this one’s close to my heart. i was signed off of work with an anxiety disorder in late 2023, which was one of the darkest periods of my life. i wrote these words around the start of the new year as i was trying to make sense of what had happened and what was next for me. it’s a song about recovery, love and empathy which i felt was a welcome change in the record. featuring our good friend erik from german chat toppers ‘pabst’ for good measure. it bangs.

soup

this one really shows our love of the Britpop vibes. although it feels like there’s a lot to be pessimistic about these days, wallowing in it is simply self destructive. this song serves as a reminder to myself to keep a positive mental attitude.

cash rich

this piece encapsulates the main narrative, themes and sentiment of the record and therefore became the title track. read by Grammy/Brit Award-winning artist, lover of collaboration and friend of the band, joss stone. she really put her own spin on it, a true pro.

headache

‘headache’ is a noisy, tongue-in-cheek, grungy number. i suffer with migraines on a regular basis so would’ve been written while nursing one. pretty sure it’s all stress-related so i hope this songs a cathartic way to make em go away. the first time we played this together was in the studio and it felt so exciting really hammering it out. shout out soph douglas for ripping the bass with us in the live room on most of the record.

swing away

it felt natural for this song to sit near the end of the record. it’s an optimistic song about self-belief and going with your gut. there’s a positive, victorious nature to the song which felt right vibe-wise to see the album off. it also includes the dulcet vocal tones of og band member nic nicholls.

robot boy

This song is a little broken-hearted folky song that I wrote just before making the move to Brighton. It felt like a nice little wave goodbye to add to the end of the record. It was a time in my life of excited uncertainty.

the recording you hear was taken straight from my iphone, tracked just moments after writing the song. there was a certain delicacy to the phone demo where it was the first time the song had ever been played so we decided to build the song around that. we added a couple of different flavours to it, all tracked with iphones (including pump organ which we played together simultaneously) and then ran it through a tape machine to really nail the vibe.

‘cash rich’ by snake eyes is released on March 6th on Alcopop! Records.