It didn’t make quite the splash it should have in the math rock multiverse, but Berlin’s Teen Prime released a dumbfounding collection of sonic screeds last year with No. 4.
The album was packed with chaotic tributes to genre greats like Don Caballero and Lightning Bolt, but constantly threatened to break out of any mold it might momentarily fit.
And now, it seems, the molds have finally given in to the molten magma jazz of Teen Prime. Content to abandon all form entirely, the band impressively dodges any dirges or the odysseys, focusing on outrageous bursts of musical comedy on the follow up to No. 4… No. 7.
We don’t mean that in a standup comedian type way though – there’s just something hilarious about it. Check out “She Said BOO” below.
It’s one of our favorites on the record, but overall there’s a mammoth amount of guitar fuzz throughout No. 7, like a starved valve sparking the last of its remaining life to ignite vacuum tube fires. Somehow, this is done quite tastefully, with the peaks and valleys all contained neatly contained into the band’s singular dynamic.
You can’t help but giggle at some of Teen Prime’s most absurd sonic qualities, but its song makes like “The Damon Che Jazz” that let you know it’s actually all pretty clever. They also do the improbable and take things down a notch on “The Bukka,” and “Aim Low Treehouse Meeting.” These songs see the band let their hair down and meander like a band between actual songs, but the moment becomes a song itself. There’s also an increased emphasis on oddly placed vocal samples, who effectively build charisma and believability to throughout record’s mischievous, but highly memorable presentation.
Math is not dead, it is just weird as hell, and we thank Teen Prime once again for the reminder. Also we are here for that slick, no-nonsense visual consistency – somehow, it fits! Check out the rest of their discography here, buy us a coffee here if you’re crazy, and above all, thank you for reading. Coming up we’ve got Lynx, After Nations, Two Brothers, and more. Enjoy the weekend!