REVIEW: Scene Queen - Hot Singles in Your Area

Scene Queen is here to shake fists at blatant misogyny in the music industry, holding a lens up to the male gaze, and shake hella ass whilst she does it. From twerkle-pits to rage-fuelled screams on records, Scene Queen is here to unapologetically deliver a masterclass in calling out hypocrisy in the music industry, and Hot Singles in Your Area is the perfect delivery.

The opening track ‘BDSM’ sets the scene for the entire album, she is reclaiming the phrase bimbo, and making it clear that men suck, and she is not to be messed with. Come for Scene Queen and she will rip your throat out and kiss your vocal cords better as you beg for mercy. Never before have we seen such reclamation over the female body as we have now with Scene Queen, and what a refreshing take that is for an industry overrun with misogyny.

Leading into ‘18+’, a track that proves just how angry Scene Queen is at allegations across the music industry and with lyrics such as the below, it’s not hard to see why: 

“If the shoe fits, shove it up your ass, does prison come with an AA pass?” and “pink wristbands on the guest list, bras hanging off the bus, yeah you get a lot of girls but not one is 18+…get those children off your bus…ted”

Whilst no names are mentioned during this song, audio of a statement that hammers home the not-so-subtle meaning of the song is read out midway through it, and the song ends with a scream worthy of a deathcore band and the words “shame on you” spoken in that signature Scene Queen giggle font.

We move on to ‘Whips and Chains’ which is a song about revenge on someone spiking a drink, again sticking with the theme. If there’s one thing Scene Queen does exceptionally well it’s balancing a sugary-sweet giggle voice with absolute murderous screams of feminine rage.

Perhaps two of the more well-known songs during pre-release, and for good reason, are ‘Pink Push Up Bra’ and ‘MILF’. These songs are anthemic and provide the ideal song to scream along to, especially if you’ve ever been in a less than favourable situation. The tone and message pair wonderfully with the next song, ‘Mutual Masturbation’.

‘Mutual Masturbation’ is an incredibly clever song, with lyrics having multiple meanings and many double-entendres carefully woven into the framework. It’s extremely catchy and definitely one of the best on the album, and we aren’t even midway through yet!

‘Girls Gone Wild’ which features Wargasm begins by poking fun at the traditional “Girls Gone Wild” videos which would always state that the content is suitable for children. Milky Way’s voice harmonising with Scene Queen provides a really interesting texture of audio which works beautifully well. With a vibe akin to ‘The Void Stares Back’ by Enter Shikari ft Wargasm, it’s clear to hear the distinctive Wargasm style coming through.

‘Hot Singles in Your Area’ has a more acoustic/relaxed vibe intro designed to lure you into a false sense of security before a breakdown hits, but this song is also here to keep you on your toes. A chaotic vibe whereby you’re blessed with Scene Queen’s angelic vocals then dragged into a breakdown which whiplashes you into that giggle-font all over again.

The album takes a bit of a different turn from this point on whereby ‘Amateur’, ‘Stuck’ (featuring 6arelyhuman), ‘PEG’, and ‘Finger’ all have a summer anthem feel about them, with very catchy hooks; reminiscent of a drag anthem, worthy of a RuPaul runway. ‘Finger’ went down a treat at Download Festival with twerkle-pits forming left, right and centre. One of the best songs on the album, though not for the faint of heart. This is a sexually charged album which is what makes Scene Queen so incredible in her mission to empower people to celebrate their own, and her own, sexuality with lyrics such as:

“If God hated gays, the sex wouldn’t be so good!” 

‘Climax’ begins with a different feel, and those angelic tones are back, but they’re sticking around this time. It’s a good minute or two until we get a breakdown and it’s quite clear that the album leading up to this point has been the foreplay and this is the album's climax. An explicit, ragefully written, anthemic album celebrating sexuality and destroying misogynists bit by bit.

This album has been expertly penned, with outright tones of grit that only years of catcalling fuelled by Rage could spawn, and you can catch Hot Singles in Your Area from June 28th via Hopeless Records.