Some albums announce themselves with grand artistic statements or elaborate concepts. Others earn their place through honesty. Cheap Grills, the third full-length album from Chicago’s Sincere Engineer, belongs firmly in the latter category. Released in 2023, the record finds frontwoman Deanna Belos continuing to refine the band’s blend of punk rock, pop-punk, Midwest emo, and heartland rock into something that feels refreshingly authentic.
Since emerging with Rhombithian and gaining wider attention through Bless My Psyche, Sincere Engineer has built a reputation on songs that sound like conversations with an old friend. Belos writes about anxiety, relationships, growing older, mental health, self-doubt, and everyday frustrations without dressing them up in unnecessary metaphors or melodrama. Her lyrics are funny one moment, heartbreaking the next, and almost always relatable.
Cheap Grills doesn’t radically reinvent the band’s sound. Instead, it sharpens everything that already worked. The hooks are bigger, the arrangements are tighter, and the emotional writing is more confident than ever. It’s an album that proves sincerity—true to the band’s name—can still be one of the most powerful tools in modern punk.
Album Overview
One of Cheap Grills’ greatest strengths is its balance.
It captures the energy of punk without becoming abrasive.
It embraces melody without drifting into glossy pop.
It explores difficult emotions without becoming emotionally exhausting.
The album moves naturally between loud, guitar-driven anthems and quieter, reflective moments, creating an experience that feels dynamic without losing cohesion.
Musically, the band draws from several corners of alternative music.
Pop-punk provides the hooks.
Midwest emo contributes emotional vulnerability.
Indie rock adds texture.
Classic punk supplies urgency.
The result is a record that feels equally comfortable alongside bands like The Menzingers, Spanish Love Songs, and The Wonder Years while maintaining its own identity.
Perhaps most importantly, Cheap Grills sounds lived-in. These aren’t songs about dramatic rock-star lifestyles. They’re about everyday adulthood—working, worrying, overthinking, paying bills, maintaining friendships, and trying to figure life out one day at a time.
That relatability gives the album tremendous charm.
Songwriting
Deanna Belos has become one of punk’s most distinctive lyricists because she rarely chases dramatic statements.
Instead, she focuses on small observations.
Awkward conversations.
Personal insecurities.
Moments of self-reflection.
Tiny victories.
Lingering regrets.
Her writing often feels almost conversational, as though she’s thinking out loud rather than performing.
That natural quality makes the emotional moments land even harder.
Throughout Cheap Grills, Belos examines adulthood with remarkable honesty. She doesn’t pretend to have everything figured out, nor does she wallow in self-pity. Instead, she acknowledges life’s frustrations while maintaining enough humor to keep the songs from becoming overly heavy.
Relationships receive thoughtful treatment as well. Rather than assigning blame or presenting heroes and villains, Belos consistently explores emotional complexity. People make mistakes. Communication breaks down. Growth happens unevenly.
Even the album’s funniest moments often hide deeper emotional truths beneath the surface.
It’s songwriting that rewards repeated listening because the clever turns of phrase never overshadow the feelings underneath them.
Performance
Belos’ vocal performance perfectly matches the material.
She isn’t trying to be the biggest singer in punk rock.
She’s trying to be believable.
And she succeeds.
Her voice carries just enough grit to complement the energetic guitars while retaining warmth during quieter passages.
She shifts comfortably between half-spoken verses, melodic choruses, and emotionally charged shouts without sounding forced.
That versatility keeps the album engaging throughout.
The rest of the band deserves equal praise.
The rhythm section provides relentless momentum without overpowering the songs.
The guitars balance crunchy punk riffs with melodic leads, adding texture without unnecessary flash.
Everything serves the songwriting first.
That sense of teamwork is one of the album’s greatest assets.
Nobody seems interested in showing off.
Everyone is focused on making the songs as strong as possible.
Production
The production strikes an excellent middle ground between polish and rawness.
The guitars sound full without becoming muddy.
The drums hit with satisfying punch.
The bass remains clearly audible throughout the mix, adding depth to the arrangements.
Vocals sit prominently without feeling artificially separated from the band.
Unlike many modern pop-punk records that rely on excessive compression and studio perfection, Cheap Grills preserves enough rough edges to maintain its personality.
The album sounds like a real band playing together.
That authenticity strengthens the emotional impact.
The production also knows when to step back.
Quieter passages create breathing room before the louder choruses arrive, making the heavier moments feel more impactful.
Nothing feels overproduced.
Nothing feels undercooked.
It’s an ideal sonic match for the band’s straightforward approach.
Standout Tracks
The album maintains an impressively consistent level of quality, but several songs stand out as particular highlights.
“Fireplace Inn” is one of the record’s most memorable tracks, combining an infectious chorus with the band’s trademark blend of humor, vulnerability, and emotional honesty.
“Library of Broken Bindings” showcases Belos’ gift for turning everyday observations into surprisingly moving reflections, supported by one of the album’s strongest melodic hooks.
“California King” balances crunchy guitars with an immediately memorable chorus, capturing the band’s knack for writing songs that invite sing-alongs without sacrificing emotional depth.
“Trust Me” highlights the band’s ability to shift seamlessly between quieter introspection and explosive punk energy, creating one of the album’s most satisfying emotional arcs.
“Coming In Last” delivers another excellent example of Belos’ conversational songwriting, pairing self-deprecating humor with genuine emotional weight.
Together, these tracks demonstrate why Cheap Grills works so well: every song feels personal without becoming overly specific, allowing listeners to connect through shared experiences.
Weak Points
While Cheap Grills is remarkably consistent, it doesn’t dramatically expand the band’s sound.
Listeners hoping for major stylistic experimentation may find the album somewhat familiar if they’ve followed Sincere Engineer’s previous releases.
A few songs also occupy similar tempos and guitar textures, causing portions of the middle of the record to blur together slightly during a full listen.
Additionally, because the band’s greatest strength lies in emotional authenticity rather than instrumental complexity, some listeners may wish for more adventurous arrangements or unexpected musical detours.
These are relatively minor criticisms, however, and largely reflect the band’s decision to refine its formula rather than reinvent it.
Legacy
Although Cheap Grills didn’t become a mainstream crossover success, it further established Sincere Engineer as one of the most dependable and emotionally honest bands in modern punk.
The album reinforced the group’s growing reputation within the punk, emo, and indie scenes while demonstrating that heartfelt songwriting can still resonate without relying on nostalgia or trend-chasing.
It also reflects the continued evolution of contemporary pop-punk. Rather than revisiting teenage angst, Sincere Engineer writes about adulthood with empathy, humor, and realism, helping broaden the genre’s emotional range.
For longtime fans, Cheap Grills feels like a natural progression.
For newcomers, it’s an excellent introduction to a band that continues to carve out its own lane through authenticity rather than gimmicks.
Final Score: 8.5/10
Cheap Grills is an honest, heartfelt, and consistently engaging punk record that succeeds through exceptional songwriting, memorable melodies, and genuine emotional authenticity. Deanna Belos continues to establish herself as one of the most relatable lyricists in modern alternative music, writing about everyday struggles with humor, empathy, and refreshing self-awareness.
While the album occasionally plays it safe musically and doesn’t significantly reinvent the band’s sound, its strengths far outweigh its minor shortcomings. Strong performances, excellent production, and a steady stream of memorable hooks make it rewarding from beginning to end.
Cheap Grills may not redefine punk rock, but it doesn’t need to. It simply delivers a collection of deeply human songs with honesty, energy, and heart—and that makes it one of the strongest punk releases of 2023.
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