Teenage Wrist - Still Love [CD]

Over the past eight years Teenage Wrist have continually evolved their sound, a process that’s peaking with their third full-length, STILL LOVE. Reaching new heights in both scope and execution, the album sees the duo—Marshall Gallagher (vocalist, guitarist, bassist) and Anthony Salazar (drums, vocalist, percussion)—producing the album themselves to handcraft their most expansive collection of songs to date from the ground up. The result is a self-realized collection of songs that saw the band borrowing vintage gear, bringing in friends in the form of members from 311 vocalist/turntablist Doug “SA” Martinez and Softcult and incorporating tasteful pop sensibilities to craft a collection of songs that redefines the band’s sound while staying true to their guitar-driven roots.

From the atmospheric, fuzzed out opener “Sunshine” (which Gallagher says is “the coolest riff he’s ever written”) to the midtempo rocker “Dark Sky’’ (the latter of which features the aforementioned cameo from 311 vocalist/turntablist Doug “SA” Martinez), the album will undoubtedly please fans who favor distorted guitars and crunchy chords. However, that’s only one aspect of the album and Teenage Wrist aren’t ashamed to admit that there’s a strong pop sensibility on the album that shows how much they’ve grown as songwriters since 2021’s Earth is a Black Hole. From the brain-invading ballad “Something Good” to the downbeat electronic vibe of “Diorama,” the album is teeming with unexpected moments that are reminiscent of Radiohead’s flair for experimentation.

The powerful bond between these two collaborators lies at the core of Teenage Wrist’s music and, more than any other factor, that’s evident on every moment of STILL LOVE. “There was a certain feeling that music gave me as a kid and this is honestly the first time on any record I feel like we kind of came close to achieving that,” Gallagher says of the end result. “We just shot from the gut on this record and tried not to overanalyze things... and I think the record speaks for itself.”