It's time for an in-depth review of Chuck E. Cheese's recent musical output

Chuck E. Cheese, vermin dispenser of mediocre pizza and fiat arcade currency, may have fallen on hard times recently, but tragedy seems to have acted as a powerful source of inspiration for his musical career. In an overview of the Good Time Rodent’s recent discography, Slate’s Alex Marcus makes the case for spending some time discovering—and appreciating—a children’s novelty restaurant band whose music is “actually… somehow… good.”

Though his animatronic Munch’s Make Believe Band (MMBB) has found live gigs harder to come by lately, Charles Entertainment Cheese has continued to fulfill the terms of the draconian record deal that requires he and his group to put out “new, original songs every few months to fuel the restaurant’s in-store soundtracks and birthday celebrations.”

Marcus explains that Bowling For Soup’s Jaret Reddick has provided Chuck E.’s vocals and helped guide the mouse’s musical direction since 2012, resulting in what’s described in the article as “recent releases [that] are far better than they have any right to be.” He highlights tracks like the P-Funk-reminiscent “Me & My Friends,” the pop-punk stylings of “It’s Chuck E!,” the a cappella, Halloween-themed “Nobody There,” and the honky tonk Christmas track, “Jasper’s Snowman.”