Teen Suicide pull in a first proper studio recording which, sees them sonically at their best.
A band with many faces, Teen Suicide wade in from the lo-fi rain and bring together a record that’s every bit intimate as it is fun. Now firmly landing in the bombastic stage of sludge metal and edged indie-pop, husband and wife Sam and Kitty Ray are ready to leap with two feet into an alt-rock landscape of new.
The duo work under Teen Suicide is not a new happening. Anchored by the lofi-charm of 2015’s i will be my own hell because there is a devil inside my body, the underground has many a-band inspired due to their edged music.
Despite the commercial plinths that are stockpiled from their previous works, Teen Suicide swam up-current, resisted comfort and surged to a new sound. Herein, lies ‘Nude descending staircase headless’. As a middle finger to the world leaning towards the path of least resistance for ease at every turn, the record is a sweeping rock album at its core.
Kitty had once said that “to write this kind of music you sort of have to pull from torment.” It’s a statement that comes not least of all from her own experience of living with a chronic illness, but Sam’s recovery from a rare lung disease, and the near-death experience that came with it. At its core, it’s a might of resilience showcasing a pair who will got at lengths to achieve and thrive. A plight of torment at the helm, the record is certainly haunting. Aggressive and equally dazzlingly beautiful in places, it pulls at the fabrics of a world that can easily unravel at any mere moment as it combs through every possible sub-genre possible. It darts to knockout anthem Idiot to vibrant alt-rock sweep of Suffering (Mike’s way), before Hypnotic poison comes as a rest stop, a poignant moment to breathe in its tendrils of throbbing synths and gorgeous vocals. It seems that shedding their limited lo-fi roots was the best thing to ever happen here.
Some may say its a reckless records. Others (who’d be right) would say its a pair let loose; aching to share their worth. And with the near-death experience looming over the record, it’s easy to see why. Both sonically and individually for Sam and Kitty Ray, this project is massive.
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