SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: SCENE QUEEN – HOT SINGLES IN YOUR AREA

SCENE QUEEN
HOT SINGLES IN YOUR AREA
HOPELESS RECORDS

American singer and TikTok star, Scene Queen, released her debut full-length album Hot Singles In Your Area on June 28th. The term ‘Scene Queen’ comes from the scene subculture, it characterizes attractive, popular women as only being involved in hardcore for the subculture. By contrast, Hot Singles In Your Area is unfiltered and authentic, setting the tone for a new sound Scene Queen has coined bimbocore.

The album starts with “BDSM”, where Scene Queen quickly acknowledges that this album is not looking for male validation. Extreme metal guitar chords paired with a robotic chorus, feature Scene Queen rapping about her discontent with men and bragging about her success. The song sets the tone for the album and bimbocore as a genre, something extreme and powerful while being dramatically provocative as a linchpin.

The second song, “18+”, brings attention to a bigger issue of industry predators and pedophiles. It is not clear whether Scene Queen is referencing someone specific in the song but in a recent interview, she stated, “Having people arguing over which band I might be upset with, arguing over security measures taken place in the scene, or even arguing whether the lyrics are good or just borderline unsettling is the exact point of the song: to get people talking about what we’ve refused to talk about in the scene the last ten years.” The song continues with the death metal theme while a monotone AI voice reads the generic script that is issued every time a celebrity deals with allegations.

“Whips and Chains” is a fitting title for the next song, where Scene Queen makes good use of the trap piano. Her lyricism on this song is as aggressive as it is sharp.

The next two songs, “Pink Push-Up Bra” and “Mutual Masturbation” continue with Scene Queen’s iconic distortion while speaking about the industry from a hyper-feminist perspective.

“Girls Gone Wild” contains the first of three features on the album. The track features British electronic rock duo, WARGASM (UK) for one of the best instrumentals on the album, especially the guitar solo near the end. Similarly, “POV” with The Ready Set has both artists singing back-to-back on a fun drum machine beat.

The midpoint of the album is marked by “Hot Singles In Your Area”, a song that lets listeners think they are about to hear Scene Queen switch to an acoustic mood before being surprised by one of the hardest drops of the year. The song’s combination of trap kicks and hi-hats, acoustic guitar, and heavy metal choruses make this one of the most memorable songs off the album.

“MILF” sees Scene Queen transition to a country rock sound that works surprisingly well. In another recent interview she says, “It’s always been the joke of it all, [being] a conservative person’s worst nightmare. In general, metal, for whatever reason, has shown itself to be very conservative – it’s very not what rock is about, so I don’t really understand it. We were like, ‘Let’s be the antithesis of anything those people want to hear.”

“Amateur” showcases Scene Queen singing pop choruses, unfortunately, her flows start to sound repetitive, and the song is carried by the instrumental.

“Stuck” brings listeners back into the action though, with a refreshing sound that feels like it was pulled out of 2014. The track incorporates techno basslines and heavy dubstep influences thanks to a feature by 6arelyhuman, a hyperpop and electronic artist.

“Finger”, “Peg”, and “Oral Fixation” are focused on exactly what their titles suggest. The grotesque nature of the sexual imagery is characteristic of the sound taking over female rap right now. It is unapologetic and not meant to be sexy in the traditional sense. My notes about “Finger”, when I first heard it, accurately describe the vibe of these songs: Sexyy Red type shit, over-the-top obscene, angry jerk-off session.

The outro of the album is my personal favourite, “Climax”, where Scene Queen showcases her range of vocal ability, singing a heartfelt verse with a ton of reverb. The song makes for an epic ending to the album and contains a guitar that sounds like it was sourced from a Final Fantasy game.

Overall, Hot Singles In Your Area is a fun 35-min rush of energy that encompasses a deeper rage in the human psyche. Though it has a feminist focus and a pink Barbie aesthetic, the album can be enjoyed by everyone for its character and over-the-top lyricism. I look forward to where Scene Queen takes bimbocore next.

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