Carolina, the new EP from Brooklyn’s TEEN, features an impressively varied and divergent array of sounds across its five songs. The EP is a follow-up to last year’s well-received and buzzed about full length In Limbo.
Under the leadership of Kristina “Teeny” Lieberson, the group’s four ladies navigate between crunchy psych grooves, squealing keys, brassy notes, luminous synths, and propulsive percussion—and that’s just on the first track. None of these songs stay in their place for very long, as they constantly shift and morph into new imaginings. Verses and choruses become difficult to pinpoint as the songs move though their own free form understanding of composition. “Cannibal” marks the EP’s midpoint and surfaces as a highlight with bouncing instrumentation and upbeat snares and handclaps.
After the ominous and foreboding noise of “Glass Cage,” culminating track “Paradise” closes the short collection of songs and is the leanest arrangement of the five. “Paradise” is constructed around organ, bending guitar notes, and wavering vocals provided by Lieberson. The strongest song on the album, it picks up speed in moments and then falls back to a more streamlined mix before building to swirling guitars and synths floating over choppy organ at the conclusion. Although the track reflects more restraint than others, the arrangement is still teeming with busy flourishes of sound, but TEEN balances them and employs them to the greatest effect here.
TEEN has been a buzz band for what feels like forever now, resting comfortably on the precipice of explosion. The rich, textured soundscapes of Carolina will certainly keep them moving toward their inevitable wider audiences and grander goals.
