EP REVIEW: Outsiders – Teri Gender Bender
Just under two months after the release of her previous EP Catspeak, TERI GENDER BENDER returns with Outsiders, another new EP full of her unique take on punk music. The frontwoman of LE BUTCHERETTES started her solo project with a ten EP series called Complexify in 2022, before releasing two further EPs that same year – Saturn Sex and State Of Fear. Now in 2023, she has released two EPs, both full of songs that she wrote at 19, which she lost and then found again. The guitars, bass and drums were played by Teri herself, and the EP was produced by her friend Jon Debaun. Across five songs, Teri‘s lyrics are rather dark; however, they are also full of light and love.
Opening song You Won The Man is an upbeat, acoustic song. The laid-back instruments allow Teri‘s raspy vocals to take centre stage. It also manages to fill the extremely short runtime of one minute and 58 seconds without sounding rushed, which is a testament to Debaun‘s production skills. Stupid Love Song is a moodier song; however, this allows us to see another side to Teri. With its groovy new-wave beat, Teri shines confidently in a genre that strays away from her fast-paced punk. But this is for the better; this EP is stronger and more confident.
Whilst Catspeak was an EP that sounded rather rushed, Outsider is a medium-paced record that shows new sides to TERI GENDER BENDER. Whether it is the excellent build-up to the electric guitar on Sideways or the hypnotising vocals on What Do You Want Me To Do, the EP gives each song time to breathe and make an impact on the listener, despite only being five tracks. In fact, this EP has different styles of music on each song, and yet it still manages to be coherent. Closer Walk Into My Everything is a mid-tempo indie-pop song that has guitar, bass, drums and a piano as the instruments, and maybe also some synths as well. All of these emphasise the angelic vocals of Teri, who gives it her all.
The only issue about this EP is that it does sometimes play it a little safe. For example, on the last song, the synths are hinted at, but are never used to their full potential. On the other hand, it could be argued that playing it safe is a good thing for now, as these elements can be picked up on in the future.
Overall, Outsiders is a vast improvement upon Catspeak. TERI GENDER BENDER returns to what makes her so great. The way she can confidently sing, and the fact that she explores new genre territories on this EP make it a fascinating listen. The pacing of the songs is fantastic, as they allow the songs to stand out on their own, despite the fact that there are only five of them. This also keeps the overall pacing of the EP nice and even. Whilst some further exploration of different instruments and genres could have been better, as sometimes it felt a little safe, there are still plenty of things on this EP to make old and new fans of TERI GENDER BENDER excited.
Rating: 8/10
Outsiders is set for release on July 7th via Clouds Hill.
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