Teengirl Fantasy - 8AM

Teengirl Fantasy
8AM
2017
Spotify

8AM may be their third release but it feels like the album that should have followed up their 2010 debut 7AM. Their previous record was more pop heavy and featured many collaborators. For this record Teengirl Fantasy have ditched all the norms and instead created a dance record that is as expansive as it is fun to move to. "Glare" opens the album in a more experimental free flowing manner, but then "Crash Soft" comes in and shows you at the heart of this record is dance. Wherever they can find it Teengirl Fantasy are going to make sure you are going to feel these beats in your legs and "Telepaths" provides this awesome almost African rhythm that is still overtly electronic. There is only one song with lyrics on this record making the Ohio duo sound like they are shifting more towards the techno side of things. However the House elements are still there with the constant beat. The pretty amazing thing about this record is you can put it on and just float away into space or invite a bunch of friends and just get out of control weird while this record pounds away. There is so much space for songs like "All of the Time" to unfold and grow that by the end you are experiencing something fully different from where you started and are more than grateful for the journey. That same track goes from these exuberant highs where synthy pianos are banging away to this swirling low rumble almost like you are falling into some kind of black hole.

The band have said that this record is supposed to be about that moment when the Sun has come up, and you are still partying knowing that sleep is still a long way off. However the record feels much tighter than it does fun, You would expect 8am to be sloppy, barely standing and a few tracks like "Don't" seem to get a moment of that feeling, but the end result of these tracks is far to hopeful to be solely about partying. Because the record feels more like an total experience those magic moments are not always that evident. You find yourself enjoying everything so picking out something distinct is quite hard. The one track with vocals is "Seeds" and it is far and away the worst on the entire record. The vocals are breathy yet harsh and almost unintelligible. By the time the track reaches any kind of crescendo you are already ready to completely write this off. It's sad that this track even had to be included because it does really stick out on an otherwise stellar album. The record remains a crisp reminder of what Teengirl Fantasy can do. This is not an album you can miss.

8.5 out of 10