Review Summary: who else likes nice rock
Nothing quite like starting a review with a back-handed compliment: I think I appreciate the way Teenage Wrist occupies their space in music more than I
like their music. Sure, I like their music quite a bit, but there’s something about the seemingly carefree, unrestrained way in which the duo navigate the grungy gaze-ish ‘90s throwback alt rock scene (catchy!). You’ll rarely encounter people actively discussing Teenage Wrist, but a lot of people seem to be (vaguely) aware of Teenage Wrist, and there’s a fair chance they’ll like what they know of Teenage Wrist. Teenage Wrist make nice rock music for people who are into nice rock music but don’t necessarily want to talk about nice rock music, you get me?
Maybe you do, maybe you don’t. Either way, I
am here to talk about the nice rock music by the band Teenage Wrist present on their new album
Still Love (only three paragraphs though, don’t get too mad). For the most part, this music reflects the unbothered state of existence of the band - find attached twelve nice tunes that don’t stray too far from the Teenage Wrist blueprint. Guitars are a little crunchier this time around (woo), bass lines a little thiccer (woo), and Marshall Gallagher’s vocal performance is more confident (woo). Unfortunately, his vocals are pushed a little too far to the front of the mix (the first rule of the gaze-djacency is that vocals should not be pushed to the front of the mix ever probably), exposing his improved performance as well as some of the more awkward inflections and occasionally underdeveloped melodies. For the most part, however,
Still Love is just a bunch of good, accessible fuzzed-out tunes to feed your Tamagotchi to or uh idk I only lived through one year of the ‘90s.
Thankfully, Teenage Wrist do try a few new things here and there. For starters,
Still Love has features! Some of them are good! Some of them are not that good! Most importantly, however, the record’s final stretch (save for the mildly questionable closer) boasts a more expansive, groove-driven take on the tried-and-true grungegaze sound of yestercentury. It’s a style that suits the duo; as good and nice and good as their music is, it tends to lack a sense of urgency. The more immediate (or: “heavier”) riffs found here add a new dimension to their sound, hinting at what avenues future music may explore (fingers crossed!). As it stands,
Still Love is a nice rock album for people who like nice rock music - it likely won’t be talked about a whole lot, but it sure is nice and good and nice to listen to with your ears!
