EP REVIEW: State Of Fear – Teri Gender Bender
TERI GENDER BENDER – real name Teresa Suárez Cosío – is no stranger to the music scene. She is best known as the founding member and frontwoman of punk band, LE BUTCHERETTES since 2007, and has held a deep passion of music for many years. Born in Denver to Mexican immigrants, Teri moved back to Mexico with her mother at 13 after her father died of a heart attack. She found refuge in the local punk scene from the blatant sexism she faced in day-to-day life, and founded LE BUTCHERETTES. Now, she is making music by herself, and has already followed her ten-EP Complexify collection with the release of Saturn Sex back in October.
Teri‘s new EP, State Of Fear, has four songs, and it starts off with Give Me, Give Me. It’s a groovy opening song, with a thumping bassline, minimal production and guitar from Omar Rodriguez-Lopez. The minimal production involves peculiar sounds which are not often heard in music, including the soft electronic beats that sound like shoes scuffing along the pavement. The electronic beats continue into Let’s Begin, which is sung in Spanish. This shows that State Of Fear is an EP that is not afraid to transcend borders. The stripped back production allows Teri‘s vocals to take centre stage. Whilst they are quite quiet, they are still brilliant.
The Slow Lean ups the ante by adding more instruments. The rock-tinged chorus compliments the quiet verses. Furthermore, it mixes up the pacing of the song. However, thanks to the brilliant production, this does not affect the overall pacing of the EP, which closes with its title track. A sombre, haunting number, this song’s use of trombones and vocal distortion ends the EP on an unsettled and eerie note. But it also works extremely well. The entire EP is a haunting, well-crafted body of work; it is clear that Teri knows what she is doing with her sound.
The songs easily transition into each other, and they are all unique. No two songs sound alike, despite them all sharing key elements, including sparse instruments, save for the electronic beats. The consistency of the EP is especially impressive given that it is only four songs long. Furthermore, despite its short runtime, it does not feel unfinished or rushed. It fits perfectly into the number of songs that it has.
Overall, State Of Fear is a brilliant EP. It manages to pack a lot into its short number of songs. Whilst the instruments might be sparse and lacking upon first listen, there is more to it the more you listen to it. The vocals are brilliant, and they take centre stage. Whilst most EPs with not many instruments fail to catch the attention of most people, State Of Fear has so many twists and turns that it defies expectations. It is an intimate, quiet and introspective EP that is perfect to listen to as both background music and on its own. It shows that TERI GENDER BENDER is a confident, polished singer who knows exactly what her sound is.
Rating: 9/10
State Of Fear is set for release on December 16th via Clouds Hill.
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