Teenage Bottlerocket
Tales From Wyoming
Rise Records (2015)
Sounds like: The Lillingtons, Screeching Weasel
Score: 9/10
Admittedly, I’m not terribly familiar with Teenage Bottlerocket’s previous five albums, but I’m a huge fan of TBR co-frontman Kody Templeton’s other band The Lillingtons. Being unable to control myself when it comes to buying music, I impulsively bought Tales From Wyoming on vinyl a few months ago. And I am so fucking happy I did. And not just because the vinyl is blue with cool white splatters on it.
Tales From Wyoming has quickly become one of my favorite releases this year. A quick perusal of Amazon reviews shows that not everyone agrees with me. Take, for example, some guy who complained that, “[This album] doesn’t make me wanna skate or die.” Though that’s a clever way to insert a song reference, that guy can go fuck himself. Speaking of references, this album has quite a few of those, too. “Nothing Else Matters (When I’m With You)” speaks of the Metallica album And Justice For All. “La Collina” is about a pizzeria in the band’s hometown of West Laramie, Wyoming. And “They Call Me Steve” tells of the adventures of the Minecraft hero.
But I may be too harsh on that Amazon guy—I’m a total sucker for punk rock love songs, and this album is full of them. I can’t think of a better pick-up line than “And there is nothing that can turn me off of you / You get me all fucked up like I’ve been sniffing glue,” from “I Found the One.” Not to make this review into an advice column on how to date punk girls, but “Can’t Quit You” is the perfect song to play when your girlfriend is pissed off at you. Not that I’ve tried it, but feel free to test my theory and get back to me on it.
It’s literally impossible for me to pick a favorite song on this album, but “Cockroach Strikes Again” has stolen my roommate’s heart. The first time she heard it, she thought it was called “Cockroach Man,” and refuses to call it anything else. I love the energy of this song, making it ideal to blast when you need a pick-me-up.
Okay, time for me to stop gushing. I’m totally in love with the first half of the album, but the second half doesn’t do as much for me. “La Collina,” “Bullshit,” and “TV Set” were all misses for me. But hey, nobody’s perfect.
The album ends on an admittedly pretty depressing note with “First Time.” The instrumental part is just the sentimental strumming of an acoustic guitar. The lyrics add to the sad mood, starting with “I’m falling apart with a broken heart for the first time.” I avoided this song at first, simply because it killed my mood when speeding down the I-15, but I later came to appreciate it and I’m sure I’ll listen to it whenever I’m feeling emo about relationships. And let’s be real: as an 18 year old girl, that means I’ll be listening to that song a lot.
I wish I had started listening not only to Tales From Wyoming, but Teenage Bottlerocket as a band sooner. Well, better late than never.
-Julien Boulton
Tales from Wyoming is available now via Rise Records.
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