Various Artists — Teen Scene

Teen Scene is a recently released wall-noise compilation themed around 1980’s slashers. The duel C60/ digital download features twenty tracks, bringing together material from both known/longer-running projects,  with more recent additions to the scene.

The release appears on Fort Worth Texas Hot Fuzz- which over the last year or so become one of the most prolific of walled noise labels around. They have bucked the scenes trend of release purely digital releases, by putting out physical releases too. There are still copies of the tape version of this release available from the label- I can’t comment on this as I’m reviewing the comp via the digital version.

Each of the tracks featured have runtimes between two and eleven minutes, and aside from maybe a few lazily conceived/ underwhelming tracks- this is a consistent ride.

We open with a track from one of the masters of the form Vomir, which as most of his output is untitled. It’s a three-minute blend of roaring water down pipe-like rush, and hissing to tightly jittering texturing. As we move through the first half of the comp highlights come in the form of thick rolling bass billow meets thinner cluttering static of Dagger's “Stab Stab Stab”.  There’s the taut drone circling meets sinisterly fixed ‘n’ beaded electro chop of Reaching Needles “Synthinfulncers Die Alone”.

Moving onto the second half, and we have elektrObath’s "Nancy and Marge Thompson (Mother and Child)"- which brings together a hazed  'n' blunt motor chugging purr with splutteringly swimming static grain rush. There’s Koobattoo Asparagus “John Marshall High School” which finds a drifting low-end engine purr blended with a thinner rattling gain, and edged with aircraft-like low-key billowing.  We have the tight & constantly descending static hack meets jittering 'n' drilling subtone detail of Stalk Market’s “Teenage Slumber Part”. Or the very constricted & pressing  “The New Nightmare”  by TAB IN/TAB OUT, which layers constantly tumbling mid-ranged judder, with pebble-grained stir 'n' rattle.

For the most part, this is a consistent & wholly rewarding wall noise compilation. I just felt a few of the tracks in the early half of the release left a little bit to be desired- feeling either slightly underdone or rather sloppy in their concept/ delivery. So as a result I was rather on the fence regarding a score for this one, I wanted to give it a 3 & half mark- but as we only do full marks here, I’ve gone for a three. To check  it out