ALBUM REVIEW: Devil Ultrasonic Dream – Teen Mortgage
Washington punk duo, TEEN MORTGAGE, have put out their debut full-length album Devil Ultrasonic Dream. The duo like to bring in their own twist by incorporating sounds relating to surf-punk and garage rock, meaning that their music can both be fun and catchy with bouncy compositions and anthemic lyrics, whilst also having a dark edge using gritty riffs and other textures.
From the very start, TEEN MORTGAGE with have your full attention with songs that are mostly on the energetic side where you’ll find yourself bopping along, singing along, or maybe both. This is evident with the opening title track that starts things off with some sirens in the background before the full band comes in with loud punk-rock that sounds rough and ready, capturing the style of much earlier punk tracks. It’s done in way that feels timeless and still sounds incredible with the loud, anthemic vocals, pointed lyrics and overall high energy.
The fun thing about their picture of styles is that songs go in one of two ways of either being upbeat and bouncy, with songs like (the aptly named) Party and Disappear where you’ll find yourself tapping your foot along and dancing with the beat; and then in the same experience you can hear a darker, grittier sound in tracks like Personal Hell and Control where we can hear garage rock fused with drone and psychedelia at points, yet punk remains at the heart of it all.
And then, even though the album mostly keeps the two styles separate, TEEN MORTGAGE is able to blend the two in a clever way by having that darker, grittier sound in the forefront yet then features a chorus on par with anthemic surf-punk with catchy lyrics that you easily pick up on. We first hear this on Ride, that is a garage-rock song infused with psychedelic guitar riffs that then has a catchy chorus where you find yourself singing along, as well as closing track I Don’t Want To Know, where, along with being a major highlight on the album, the main atmosphere is low and moody with the staple garage-rock that is now infused with grunge and droning guitar and yet that seriousness disappears in the chorus that you can’t help but sing along with over and over.
Of course, we must mention the punk style at the heart of it all. As mentioned, the album has a rough production that imitates vintage punk recording yet does so in a way that remains modern as opposed to feeling dated. We, of course, have the standard fast, chaotic compositions, (outside of Personal Hell and Control), shouty vocals and even a megaphone is bought in for those anthemic moments that make you want to cause anarchy. How very punk of you, TEEN MORTGAGE. Devil Ultrasonic is a solid debut from an exciting duo who has so much more to offer in the future. TEEN MORTGAGE are a force to reckoned with.
Rating: 7/10
Devil Ultrasonic Dream is out now via Roadrunner Records.
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