Teenage Wrist Share Haunting New Single 'Diorama'

05-09-2023

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(Epitaph) LA rock duo Teenage Wrist share their new single "Diorama" today. Following the bright nostalgia of their latest music video, "Sunshine," the new song is led by the muddy resonance of a down-tuned acoustic guitar with haunting vocals severed for a moment of grating distortion. As "Diorama" unfolds, an electronic drumbeat is joined by psychedelic synths and a soaring melody, marrying alternative rock with the band's signature shoegaze sound.

On its existential lyricism, vocalist, guitarist and bassist Marshall Gallagher explains: "It's about seeing the world through your own microscopic lens, and how all the insignificance, irony and existential dread are magnified by the technology we've become dependent on. We all know this feeling, looking at your phone for hours, watching everything unfold and crumble. All the tragedy and injustice outside your walls, and the feeling of utter uselessness against it. Yet life goes on and you continue existing."

The initial idea for "Diorama" came about while Marshall was at producer Nat Motte's (Maroon 5, 3OH!3) house as they made beats. "I played this weird chord/melody thing out of nowhere and when he pitch-shifted it down a whole octave, I knew it had to be a Wrist song immediately," he explains of the dreamy tone. "From there, we kept letting really dope instrumentalists and producers add layers to it - Anthony Salazar (Teenage Wrist) of course with the breakbeat, Kevin McCombs (All Time Low, Papa Roach) chopping and reversing, Ryan Osterman from Holy Fawn coming in with the synth assist - and it became something pretty moving."

Teenage Wrist draw inspiration from bands like The Cure and The Smashing Pumpkins, combining the muted aggression of grunge with elements of shoegaze and alternative rock. After forming in 2015 as a side project, they released their debut EP Dazed that Spring, leading to a deal with Epitaph Records in 2017. Their full-length debut, Chrome Neon Jesus, followed in March of 2018, produced by Carlos de la Garza (Paramore, The Linda Lindas, HUNNY). After a lineup change that propelled Gallagher into the role of front man for 2021's Earth Is a Black Hole, produced by Colin Brittain (Basement, A Day to Remember), a new era of Teenage Wrist was born.