Teenage Wrist — “Earth Is a Black Hole” ALBUM REVIEW
By Philip Plazewski
Teenage Wrist is an alternative rock band that formed in 2015 around Katmin Mohager, known primarily for his indietronica project The Chain Gang of 1974, and bandmates Marshall Gallagher and Anthony Salazar. By mixing the sounds of 90’s shoegaze and grunge together with hazy, distorted hooks and often somber themes, the trio quickly garnered the eager attention of many online. An EP soon followed their debut single and by 2017 the band had inked a deal with Epitaph Records. Not long after, a debut album titled “Chrome Neon Jesus” was released in early 2018. This LP was met with mixed-to-high praise from critics and fans alike, as the wall-of-sound guitars and dreamy vocals presented a dynamic and modern take on the well-treaded 90’s sounds. The gloomy yet textured riffs and accompanying lyrical themes were becoming a trademark of the group, and they followed up with 2019’s EP “Counting Flies.” A solid presentation of songs, Counting Flies was more of what fans had come to expect from the shoegaze rockers. However, the trajectory of the band would soon change from unsupring to uncertain later that year.
In late 2019 Mohager shared that he would be leaving Teenage Wrist. The vocalist and surely a major creative force exiting (as well as the recent departure of a guitarist who had joined back in 2018) left a lot of questions about how the remaining members would undertake their next release. The album’s first single, “Silverspoon,” showcased more of the meandering, ethereal melodies and distorted guitarwork that fans had come to expect, but with production that was noticeably less fuzzy and a bit more sterile than normal. Despite the minor tweaks to the formula, “Silverspoon,” felt somewhat uninspired and a fear that the creative spark had gone out with Mohager’s departure presented itself. The song ultimately feels like a watered down b-side from Chrome Neon Jesus, as the crisp production strips away any character from the instrumentation and makes the hook feel like a waiting game for the next track. Thankfully, this single would not be an indication of what was to come on “Earth Is a Black Hole.” With the exception of former song and the track “Yellowbelly,” EIABH is a redefining album for Teenage Wrist, both sonically and thematically.
The sonic differences on this album compared to the band’s previous material is stark and maybe even disorienting for some old listeners, especially without context of the recent lineup volatility. Gallagher, now picking up vocals, and Salazar, continuing on drums, chose to evolve the band’s sound into something brighter, cleaner, and free of the genre restraints that came with adhering to the current duo’s “classic” sound. EIABH has louder guitars, more energetic songs, and a change of perspective in songwriting that is sunnier and more colorful. Take the third track, “New Emotion,” which boasts a roaring, pop punk chorus perfect for soundtracking the summer before it even arrives. Lyrically this song acts as the perfect bridge between themes of Teenage Wrist’s older material and their new work. It details the feelings of anxiety and uncertainty that can arise from seeking happiness instead of gloom or nihilism after being accustomed to negative emotions for so long.
“Safe and sound in the typical disgust
I try to force it out, I can’t wait ’til it comes
Pathetic as it sounds I’m still chasing a feeling, a feeling that I’ve never found
It’s a new emotion“
On the surface many of these songs seem to keep the melancholic attitude prevalent on a record like Chrome Neon Jesus, but upon closer inspection they paint a hopeful, yet sometimes tongue-and-cheek, picture of the journey away from a defeatist outlook on life. In a recent interview with Kerrang, Gallagher spoke about how the album mirrors the band members’ quest for mental self-improvement stating, “We made a departure from negative energy, pessimism, ignorance and all the stuff that had bogged us both down. We were stuck in old cycles. We needed to start the process of growing… up.” The thematic duality between the old and new Teenage Wrist is only miniscule compared to the sound change touched on before.
Most of the songs on EIABH are a faster tempo with cleaner sounding production and much less of the slow, shoegaze/dream pop influences that formerly characterized the group. On Chrome Neon Jesus, many of the tracks were steady slow burns with sludgy guitars that got louder as they went on. Although still clearly influenced by their grungier and more shoegaze tendencies, which can be heard in many of the soft, dreamy riffs that open several of the tracks, Gallagher and Salazar opted to hone in on a more straightforward style of alternative rock and pop punk. With that in mind, it wouldn’t be too much of a stretch to say that EIABH sounds like if shoegaze contemporaries Turnover had chosen to focus on their punk influences after the release of their first album “Magnolia” instead of going full dream pop on their second LP. While on the topic of Turnover, “Yellowbelly” is a shimmering tune more akin to Turnover’s sound on Magnolia, but in the blandest way possible. Although not outright bad, this song falls into many of the same traps that “Silverspoon” does, yet managed to make it sound like Turnover became the musical equivalent of a can of La Croix.
On first listen, I was initially very wary of the sound change that the band went with. Abandoning so much of their original identity would definitely make fans skeptical or even contemptful. However, the four song stretch from track six, “Wear U Down,” through the album’s title track should dispell any remaining hangups about the new musical direction found on EIABH. As each of the four songs add more pop punk influence than the last, buzzing guitars and catchy melodies only make it more difficult not to shout along the words to each one. Some critics and fans might say that removing so much distortion from the mix and adding more pop songwriting elements might seem like strpping the band of its character, but the results yield an exciting evolution that provides the group with the lane needed in order to continue progressing and avoid stagnating like on “Silverspoon.” This album gets a decent 8/10.
Favorite Tracks: Earth Is a Black Hole, High Again, Taste of Gasoline, Wear U Down, New Emotion, Wasting Time
Least Favorite Tracks: Yellowbelly, Silverspoon
