New Teen Angst Pt.2 is the debut release from Canberra native Slow Violence who finds a home on Dream Damage, a label which has made its name releasing brash post punk and noisy rock experiments by the likes of Assassins 88, TV Colours and Danger Beach. Dream Damage have recently ventured into the electronic realm with the impressive debut from Power Moves and now with the addition of Slow Violence, seem to be embracing a wider range of artists with no particular stylistic thread.
The EP opens with ‘Time Trial’, a fairly straight forward beat piece, announcing its intention then quickly trailing off before any sense of familiarity can be realised. ‘Time Trial’ seems to be concerned with laying the cards out (albeit for a brief moment), whereas second track ‘Limb’ allows for some breathing space gradually evolving from film score territory into a rich slow jam of subtle piano flourishes and cavernous rhythms.
By the time ‘Crushin’ arrives it is clear that Slow Violence will not be pigeon-holed, relishing in the freedom to push the confines of the genres and sub-genres he will no doubt be grouped within. At first glance ‘Crushin’ seems to sit comfortably alongside the recent wave of future-soul artists, opening with sweetly layered falsetto harmonies; however the track soon reveals its true identity as a cracked R&B jaunt whose vocals appear to burst at the seams before settling back into the seemingly effortless closing passage. The gears shift once again with ‘Lullaby’ calling to mind the mellow intimacy explored by Balam Acab, with spectral voices floating atop the blissfully understated foundations.
The EP closes with ‘Kidz’, a jangly dream pop number which offers up the EPs sole lyric “I don’t know exactly where I’m going, but I’m right here right now” which hangs in the air momentarily before the track meanders toward its inevitable end. The lyric is fleeting which is an aesthetic that runs throughout the EP, not only in its running time (a mere 13 minutes) but also in the way the artist tosses out idea after idea, never content with letting them settle. Slow Violence covers a lot of ground in this short time and it is this diversity which sets him apart from his contemporaries. New Teen Angst Pt.2 is a concise introduction to an exciting young artist which we will hopefully hear much more from in the future.
Greg Stone
