The Cheap Thrills to Release Debut Album 'Keep Cheap'

The Cheap Thrills are set to release their debut album, KEEP CHEAP, marking the band's first full-length record.

KEEP CHEAP is due out September 18th, 2026, and is available to pre-order at thecheapthrills.co.uk/live.

KEEP CHEAP is described as an uplifting record packed full of indie anthems that celebrate the band's Liverpool roots while delivering universal messages. It tracks the journey from the band's teenage beginnings to becoming one of the most prominent acts to emerge from the city in recent times.

Regarding the album, frontman Lewis Pike says, 'We've used 'Keep Cheap' as our motto for years, a phrase that reflects our commitment to doing things on our own terms. It's played such a big role in shaping who we are as a band, so it feels only fitting our first album carries the same name.

'Lyrically, the album is both vulnerable and sincere, balanced with moments of wit and a distinct scouse turn of phrase. It features a combination of new material alongside songs that took us on this journey - a blend of established favourites and future classics. At its core, the album offers an honest reflection on love, loss, growing up, and finding clarity along the way.'

Opener 'hairs' paves the way with its bright synth-laden keys launching the propulsive yet pensive anthem, 'about the beautiful little reminders that seem to turn up when you are delicate.'

'looking' is a swaggering statement with a bite reminiscent to the likes of Jamie T and a demonstration of politically charged indie poetry from Pike. 'This is consciousness spoken word which is introspective and also imaginary. I imagine a world where I'm a pensioner stuck in a rut, under tory rule. It ends with the realisation this is all up to me and it's where I'm at mentally rather than where I am in the world.'

'run' shimmers with the yearning for clarity and escape, its cheery jangled riffs sitting between the likes of The Libertines and Bloc Party while the upbeat sounds juxtapose its darker themes. 'It's about living with anxiety and the temptation to escape from it, even when you know the relief won't last,' says Pike. 'It follows someone caught between reaching out for help and shutting everyone out, and about realising that the hardest thing to run from is yourself.'

This understanding of oneself is developed throughout the new songs on the record. 'air breathing mammals', Pike says, 'came from realising I'd spent too much time looking up to people I'd never really know,' while 'electric fences', 'is about inner turmoil and how I feel a prisoner in my own thoughts sometimes. The electric fences serve the imagery that I don't want to let you in and I don't want to let myself out.'

The album also includes a number of hit singles which have seen the band achieve multimillion streams, including 'codependence', which skyrocketed them to scouse hero status as the soundtrack for Liverpool FC's European kit campaign. They solidified their standing in the city with the release of 'walton vale', a homage to the street that birthed The Cheap Thrills while also analysing wider problems in society. 'It follows a man trapped in addiction, set against one of Liverpool's lesser-known streets. Rather than judging him, the song tries to understand the guilt, loneliness and regret that come with addiction, and the difficulties of admitting that something must change.'

KEEP CHEAP TRACK LISTING

1. hairs
2. walton vale
3. looking
4. run
5. reborn
6. air beathing mammals
7. take things back
8. codependence
9. electric fences
10. last orders
11. something for nothing
12. paranoia
13. calypso blue

With a UK headline tour in October selling out rapidly, the band have also announced instore live dates for the album release in September. Ahead of those dates, they will play their largest hometown show to over 2,000 fans at Liverpool's Mountford Hall on August 1st, which is sold out. They will then play a number of festivals in August including Together Again, Y Not, and 110 Above, as well as supporting The Fratellis in Wakefield on August 28th. Tickets are available via thecheapthrills.co.uk/live.

THE CHEAP THRILLS TOUR DATES

Jul 25th – Tattenhall, Together Again Festival
Aug 1st – Liverpool, Mountford Hall - SOLD OUT
Aug 2nd – Derbyshire, Y Not Festival
Aug 22nd – Atherstone, 110 Above Festival
Aug 28th – Wakefield, Tileyard North *
Sep 18th – Liverpool, Jacaranda Baltic **
Sep 19th – Liverpool, Jacaranda Baltic **
Sep 20th – Liverpool, Jacaranda **
Sep 22nd – Leeds, Jumbo Records **
Sep 23rd – London, Rough Trade East **
Sep 24th – Bury, Wax & Beans **
Oct 7th – Glasgow, SWG3 Poetry Club - SOLD OUT
Oct 8th – Newcastle, Think Tank?
Oct 9th – Manchester, Manchester Academy
Oct 10th – Nottingham, The Bodega Social Club - SOLD OUT
Oct 11th – Leeds, Oporto - SOLD OUT
Oct 13th – Cardiff, Clwb Ifor Bach
Oct 14th – Bristol, The Croft
Oct 15th – Southampton, Heartbreakers - SOLD OUT
Oct 16th – London, Barfly Camden - SOLD OUT

* supporting The Fratellis
** new album instore

Photo Credit: Liam Maxwell

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