My Teenage Wrist Top 15
Teenage Wrist is a perfect example of why music in the streaming age is better than it was during the mono-culture of radio and MTV because I never would have discovered them through radio or TV. I discovered Teenage Wrist at the very beginning of 2018 thanks to Spotify's Release Radar, which is a weekly playlist where Spotify selects 30 songs that are new from artists you love and some you might not know yet but could be right up your alley. Spotify's algorithm knows I love alternative rock, especially Shoegaze and Grunge, so they started throwing me songs by this band I had never heard of. This band didn't have an album out yet, but they had an EP and a few newer singles, Swallow and Dweeb, which were the songs I first heard by Teenage Wrist on Release Radar.
Both songs grabbed me pretty quickly. I could tell this was a band indebted to 90s Alternative. I could hear the Grunge influence in their guitars, but I could also hear a lot of Shoegaze in the production, which was pretty atmospheric and that's always a plus for me. The vocals also felt a bit Punk/Pop like Jimmy Eat World in that they were a little more clean and smooth compared to the baritone style singing a lot of Grunge and Grunge influenced acts utilize, while also being more audible than most Shoegaze singers. I saved both songs on Spotify and found myself returning to them more and more as the weeks passed. I started adding those songs to a bunch of my playlists, from my Grunge Essentials to my Shoegaze Essentials playlists.
Eventually their first full length album Chrome Neon Jesus dropped in April around the time of the new Stone Temple Pilots album with Jeff Gutt. The new STP album initially had more of my attention, but I was liking what I was hearing on Chrome Neon Jesus. I was also deep into a Shoegaze binge around that time so the songs that felt more Shoegaze off Chrome Neon Jesus like Daylight really caught my ear and I started adding more songs by them to my playlists. As the year wore on Teenage Wrist was regularly rotated and I found myself discovering and liking more and more songs off Chrome Neon Jesus.
Then Queer Pop hit me in mid August, which changed everything, but then a funny thing happened. Despite Queer Pop taking up more and more of my listening time and attention, I still found myself listening to Teenage Wrist a lot. In fact, whenever I needed a break from Queer Pop I ended up turning to Teenage Wrist 9 times out 10. Then in early 2019 they released a 3 songs EP called Counting Flies and I LOVED IT! Each track grabbed me immediately, especially the opener Mary, which is their best song yet!
That's when I realized that Teenage Wrist was becoming my favorite alternative rock band since I discovered Silversun Pickups 10 years ago. Like Silversun Pickups, Teenage Wrist seemed to have learned all the right lessons from 90s Alternative and have a much deeper set of influences within 90s Alternative rock compared to most of their peers. Teenage Wrist also were mixing 3 sub genres that were all popular in the 90s, but had never been mixed together quit like this before. You had the Grunge influence on the distorted guitars sounding like Nirvana and Alice in Chains, the atmospheric production that recalled Shoegaze bands such as Ride and Catherine Wheel and the smooth vocals of Punk/Pop acts like Blink 182 and Jimmy Eat World
Even though I was moving more and more into Queer Pop and away from a lot of Rock music in general, Teenage Wrist was reminding me why I loved 90s Alternative so much in the first place and why it meant so much to me for so long. I also realized that outside one song I just thought was OK I liked if not loved everything else they had put out between their 2 EPs and 1 full length album. Again, besides Silversun Pickups, I had not felt this way about a new Alternative rock band since the fall of the Alternative Nation at the end of the 90s. It's funny that just as I was starting to drift away from Alternative Rock, Teenage Wrist came along to become one my favorite Alternative Rock bands ever. As of right now they have my complete attention. I follow Teenage Wrist on all 3 social media platforms, I write about them in my Q review articles for my favorite songs of the month, I check for tour dates on a weekly basis to see if and when they are coming to the D.C. area, and I listen to their music constantly.
When Spotify rounds up my end of the year look back for 2019 I know Queer Pop is going to dominate the top 100 song list and for my top 5 most listened to acts of 2019 I know 4 of them will be Queer Pop musicians, but I would not be surprised if Teenage Wrist ends up being my most listened to act of 2019 and their song Mary is my most listened to song of the year as well. Along with Silversun Pickups and the new Jeff Gutt led Stone Temple Pilots, Teenage Wrist is keeping the flame alive for me with Alternative Rock right now. I get just as excited for new music by Teenage Wrist as I do for Kim Petras or Years & Years right now.
Since I love just about all of their songs, I am going to count down my top 15 songs by Teenage Wrist, which means I am counting down about 75% of their output right now. I am only leaving off 3 songs from their debut EP Dazed and 2 songs off their 2018 full length album Chrome Neon Jesus. Most of the songs I am leaving off are still pretty good though. If you miss the 90s, especially the heyday of Grunge and Shoegaze, then you need to give these guys a listen right now. Teenage Wrist will make you believe in the power of distorted guitars and Alternative rock again.
15. Chrome Neon Jesus
The title track to their 2018 album is also the album opener and it does a nice job setting the stage for what you are about to hear. Their mix of Shoegaze, Grunge and Pop/Punk is all evident in this track and it's a solid song overall. Not one of my favorites off the album, but like Meatplow off Purple by Stone Temple Pilots, the fact that it only gets better after the opening track is a testament to how great this album is.
14. Afterglow
The group's debut EP Dazed is much more raw and unpolished than the material that comes later. It is also finds the group leaning more into Shoegaze though the production and layering are not quite as detailed and immersive yet. Afterglow is still a solid song with a solid chorus and a nice wall of distorted guitars going for it, especially during the bride where they crank up the sludge just a bit.
13. Slide Away
The main single off their debut EP is pretty catchy. While not as muscular or as hooky as their later material, it will still stick in your head after listening to it a few times. The debut EP feels more like a stepping stone to where the group was going and therefore I recommend listening to it last instead of first. That said, the longer I live with Dazed EP the more I like it and find myself returning to it. This is a very good EP by a band that's on the verge of greatness. The best part of this song is when the guitars start squealing as the lead singer sings the song title during the chorus. Little touches like that are what separate Teenage Wrist from the bland Grunge copycats of the 00s.
12. Supermachine
This feels more on the Punk/Pop side of things for the group even though it utilizes the quiet to loud Grunge formula between the verses & chorus. Also the production during the verses is very atmospheric & detailed, which means the Shoegaze influence is there too. Nonetheless, when they get to that chorus it makes me think of bands like Jimmy Eat World. The guitar solo also feels more late 90s to me but in a good way. For many modern rock bands this would be their best song, for Teenage Wrist it's not even in their top 10.
11. Waitress
This is the group's heaviest song. The wall of guitars on this bad boy are sludgy to the max and I like that! It reminds me of songs off Soundgarden's Superunknown like Mailman or 4th of July as well as songs off Catherine Wheel's Chrome album such as I Confess. Like those songs the guitars feel like they could peel the skin off your face, but they are still catchy and appealing anyway. That line between melody and distortion was one of Grunge's best traits and here Teenage Wrist walks that line with the best of them.
10. Mirror Talk
This is my favorite song off the Dazed EP though it didn't initially jump out at me. Still the song seems to have a sense of urgency to it lacking from the rest of the EP. The interlocking guitars at the start have more energy to them then something like Bloom or Summer, which are more atmospheric Shoegaze dirges. The "Ooo Ooo" harmonies during the chorus are a nice touch that helps it feel more pop and the key change during the guitar solo makes it even more memorable. These guys know how to do a guitar solo. For some reason this is their only song not on YouTube so I attached the Spotify link here instead.
09. Swallow
One of the the first songs I heard by Teenage Wrist has some wicked guitar riffage and soloing on it. The opening onslaught of guitars makes it feel epic from the start. The lead up to the chorus is once again another example of how these guys nail the key changes that help make their songs sound even more memorable. The solo meanwhile is thrashy and great with all kinds of squeals and riffs being churned out on top of each other. You''ll want to go back to catch all of it again trust me.
08. Sparkle/Fade
Teenage Wrist's latest EP Counting Flies sees them leaning harder into the Shoegaze again like their debut EP Dazed, but there are some noticeable differences now. The guitars for one are much more muscular and pronounced now and the production is much more detailed and polished. Sparkle/Fade benefits immensely from these developments especially as it starts building a wall of sound climax during the last 2 minutes. The layers of guitars and sounds going on in the background during the final 2 minutes helps Sparkle/Fade feel more expansive and epic than anything that was on Dazed.
07. Rollerblades
Probably the second heaviest song off Chrome Neon Jesus after Waitress, but the riffs are more memorable and catchy on their own here, which helped this one move up a few slots. The song is packed with different hooks, guitar moments and key changes to keep things engaging from start to finish. Damn why can't more Alternative Rock bands after the 90s sound this good? I can't answer that question but Teenage Wrist makes it sound easy.
06. Believe in the Wrong Things
One of the things I love about Teenage Wrist is that they are not only influenced by the 90s, but that they have recaptured that early 90s sound that seems to have disappeared from rock by the end of the decade. Even bands from the 90s couldn't seem to recapture that sound after the 90s ended, but somehow someway Teenage Wrist has and it's on full display on Counting Flies middle track Believe in the Wrong Things. This song sounds like a missing gem from 1993 that we are only now uncovering and I love it! You could play this on Sirius XM's Lithium station in between Alice in Chains and Catherine Wheel and people would think this was from 1993 as well.
05. Stoned, Alone
The group's biggest song so far. Stoned, Alone got well over 1 million streams from Spotify and it was featured on Spotify's Alternative Nation playlist for months. This one is equal parts Grunge, Shoegaze and Punk Pop with the emphasis on POP. It's easy to hear why this became the big single. The juxtaposition between the distorted grunge guitars and the prettier chiming guitars during the chorus is very ear grabbing and appealing. Teenage Wrist is great at mixing noise and melody in a way that enhances their songs without canceling either out.
04. Black Flamingo
This has become a fast favorite of mine lately. Black Flamingo sees Teenage Wrist in full throttle rock mode, but it feels even poppier and more soaring than their other music due to it's forward momentum. That chorus demands to be shouted by an audience full of fans at one of their live shows. I still have not seen Teenage Wrist live yet, but I can't wait to and this song feels like it's going to be a big highlight of their live set.
03. Daylight
This is the most Shoegaze song off Chrome Neon Jesus, which is why I was attracted to it instantly. That guitar tone feels like the essence of Shoegaze music and it's amazing no other Shoegaze band has used it until Teenage Wrist came along. What's interesting too is that for the most Shoegaze song off Chrome Neon Jesus it's also the most romantic song as well which is not unusual for Shoegaze. Many of Ride, Lush and Slowdive's best songs were love songs that sounded very sensual and Teenage Wrist captures all that here with Daylight. Also the group knocks out another great guitar solo on top of that Shoegaze guitar tone. Like Silversun Pickups these guys know how to pull off a guitar solo with aplomb.
02. Dweeb
This is my favorite song off Chrome Neon Jesus. The first thing that jumps out for Dweeb is that bass line! Dweeb has one of the most memorable bass line openings I have ever heard in a Grungy alternative rock song since Would? by Alice in Chains or Comedown by Bush. Then those guitars crash in and it gives me goosebumps the way great 90s Alternative still can but most post 90s Alternative can’t (Besides once again Silversun Pickups.) I also love how atmospheric the guitar is on the verse as opposed to how distorted it sounds on the chorus. It's as if the band is switching between Shoegaze and Grunge throughout the whole song and they never miss a step along the way. As per usual with Teenage Wrist, the guitar solo is fantastic. This is the song that initially hooked me on the band and I think it can hook you as well.
01. Mary
Mary, the group's latest single and the opening track from their 2019 EP Counting Flies, is the moment I knew these guys were going to go the distance for me. Mary exemplifies everything I love about Alternative Rock with an instantly memorable guitar riff, atmospheric yet detailed production, a soaring chorus and a guitar solo that lifts the song even higher. I have been listening to this song non-stop since they dropped the EP earlier this year and I love it more and more every time I hear it. In my opinion Mary is the greatest Alternative Rock song since Panic Switch and it's just as good as anything by the 90s Grunge Acts! That's right I like this song as much as anything by Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Alice in Chains, Soundgarden, The Foo Fighters, Garbage, The Smashing Pumpkins and maybe even Stone Temple Pilots! At the same time even though it's the Gay Pop musicians who are dominating 2019 for me overall, Mary has them all beat at the moment! In fact, Mary is in the running for my favorite song of the decade. Alternative rock doesn't get better than this folks! Listen to it now and thank me later.
