This album starts out with “Chrome Neon Jesus”, and it’s a very dreamy, hazy start. And that really shouldn’t be too shocking if you know the track record of Teenage Wrist. Then we have the waves of distortion and triumphant guitars that I’ve been craving. For being a fair young act, they really have this sound down to a science. I love the slow, pounding pace and the shimmering instrumentals. Now, let’s be real, these vocals may be a little too clean and not wild enough for some listeners. And if it’s not your thing I totally get that. But I honestly feel like the sincerity and stripped down aspect of some of these vocals makes some of the more Emo influences of this band really work wonders. “Chrome Neon Jesus” isn’t an exciting rocker of an intro, it’s one you sit with. But it’s triumphant and brilliant. Then we have “Dweeb” which is even more hulking of a track, that’s more sluggish, but remains incredibly well produced. As hazy and as soaked in reverb this is, you can easily pick out every instrumental. There’s a gigantic nostalgic feel to this that doesn’t come off that bad at all, and it’s actually what makes this work as well as it does. I love the very hulking rhythms as well as the almost psychedelic undertones, and I continue to love just how sappy the vocals are. They continue to not be the grittiest thing I’ve heard, but they bring in so much emotion that’s been missing from these genres that I can’t be mad. The instrumentals are intense, the production is shimmering, and I just can’t help but really love this as a genuinely great guitar track. All around, I have nothing bad to say about “Dweeb”. In a weird way, also, I feel like this is exactly what Alcest was going for with their “Shelter” album, but so much more interesting. “Swallow’ on the other hand literally sounds like a much more late 90’s hard rock sound. But in the best way, in a sort of Deftones way. This one is much more low key and even more sluggish, with the vocals often getting swallowed whole during the verses. It’s during the quieter moments that things get really stunning though. There’s just such an incredibly triumphant feel to the music here. These aren’t just Alt-Metal tunes with an Eco twist, there’s some serious emotion here. And as intense and wild as this track gets from time to time, there isn’t anything about this one that’s really that hard to dissect. If you’re getting into Shoegaze or Emo, this is a great place to start. I feel like as this album goes on, it just gets grungier and more agitated, not to mention denser. If you’re not into what the band is doing here, I totally get that. And I have to repeat there is an absolutely gigantic nostalgic feel to this that can very easily get under your skin. But I feel like instances like “Stoned, Alone” is one of the rare instances where things come off really tasteful and interesting. Now, I’m not as into some of the softer and sappier vocals on this one, they’re a little too much for me, and there isn’t any grit in sight. But instrumentally, hell yes this works.
Now, if the last few tracks didn’t already have a very strong Nostalgic underbelly, “Supermachine” is ridiculous. The very breezy, Acoustic strumming is totally late 90’s, and I actually really love hearing some of these vocals when they aren’t drenched in haziness. This is one of the most straightforward and anthemic tracks here, with a gigantic, sing-a-long chorus. The Shoegaze elements remain, but I honestly wish on tracks like this and the last track that they went even bigger with it. The glistening atmosphere is done perfectly. But I want more reverb, I want more distortion, I want more haziness, and I really don’t feel like that’s a lot to ask. I am glad though that Teenage Wrist has some elements to grow into. But outside of that, “Supermachine” is just another really solid, emotional performance. On the other hand, I really actually love the much more intense and upbeat performance on “Black Flamingo”. This is by far, the most triumphant and upbeat track here, and almost brings in some Punk vibes. All around, this one is really fantastic. We get both mysterious vocals during the verses, as well as some of the most soaring vocals we’ve heard yet on the chorus. This one is just so damn punchy and explosive, and I continue to be a real fan of this stellar production. Not to mention, I feel like as this album goes on and on I get more and more of a Deftones vibe. And hey, that may do something for you and it may not. But for me, it really does bring me back to a simpler time. But then we get “Kibo”, which in a lot of ways is seriously weird. For one, this track has a really awkward fade in and fade out, which I’m not too miffed about. But overall, this track just seems dreadfully unfocused, especially with just how solid everything has been up until this point. I mean, a minute in, there is absolutely nothing going on. Literally, nothing. Ironically, this may be the album’s most Shoegaze inspired track as well. And while yes, I dig the atmosphere, and I do think they pull it off, this one is short and uninspired. On the other hand, “Rollerblades” is easily the heaviest tune yet. To be perfectly honest, I really wouldn’t have minded these guys going in a more aggressive direction. The vocals here are just so much more snarky and pissed off, and I absolutely love it. There are still plenty of more melodic moments, like on that very sleek chorus. This album continues to throw plenty of curve balls at its listener. I still feel like this is a very clean album, and that’s going to get on a lot of people’s nerves. But for a really great, guitar-driven album, this is certainly very well done.
But as this album rolls on, it’s becoming clear that Teenage Wrist also seems to be getting their Shoegaze sound more concrete. This sound is hazy as hell and absolutely monstrous. I actually also love a lot of the attitude on some of these later tracks. While their Emo vibes continue to be absolutely monstrous, this is far from whiny and is actually really aggressive. I mean, if you can just get past how shimmering and spotless this production is, this album is incredibly above average. I can’t even imagine the amount of success this band would have had 20 years ago. Then we have “Spit”, which is by far the softest we’ve heard these guys here, and it’s also the most Emo inspired, at least in a traditional sense. In a way, I almost see Brand New fans being into this. But of all the tracks here, this actually doesn’t hit me nearly as hard. Every other track here has been so unique, with Teenage Wrist really coming into these genres with a fresh sound. But let's be real, that’s not what we’re getting here. This just sounds like Teenage Wrist trying to be any famous Imo band. Not to mention this track is just so drab and boring, it’s not for me. This album ends off with “Waitress”, and thankfully this one has some oomph to it. I love just how crunchy the guitars are here, even these vocals just seem so confident for once. But I feel like this is just sort of alright compared to the other tunes here. Yea, this track is booming, intense and swirling. But the total package of this one is just not nearly as flattering. It’s still a decent tune overall, and this is a shockingly good debut album. But of the tracks here, “Waitress” is just OK.
Rating: 8.2/10
Give A Listen To: "Dweeb", "Swallow", "Black Flamingo", "Rollerblades"
Genre: Shoegaze / Emo / Alt-Metal / Hard Rock
Overall Thoughts: Teenage Wrist here came out with a very decent debut album, which is even more shocking when you realize just how many elements and genres they're blending here. Teenage Wrist often blend in elements of Emo, Shoegaze, and some gritty Alternative Metal as well. Sound like some old school Deftones? That's because a lot of the time, it does. The production on this album is also seriously ahead of the game. Teenage Wrist found a way to blend in the haziness and dreaminess of Shoegaze, but their guitar-driven sound isn't hampered at all.
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