REVIEW: Scene Queen – “Bimbocore” EP
Artist: Scene Queen
Release Date: April 29, 2022
Label: Hopeless Records
Rating: 3.5/5
Scene Queen is proving herself as a force to be reckoned with in the alternative scene with Bimbocore, her debut EP with Hopeless Records. Born Hannah Collins, Scene Queen is carving out a space for women in the alt scene who may not dress in the typical “alt style”, but deserve to be part of the alt community just as much as anyone else, because the whole point of being “alternative” is to be “outside of the norm.” The Bimbocore EP is just that, with Collins fusing crunchy, metalcore-esque riffs with electronic elements and vocals reminiscent of early Kesha – in the best possible way.
But perhaps the best thing about Scene Queen’s music is that it represents standing up against misogyny in the industry and in life. This is most evident on the tracks “Pink Rover” and “Pink Panther”, with the former being about standing up against catcallers, even going so far as to threaten to “put a knife to his boner” of one such catcaller. “Pink Panther” on the other hand, is raunchy and debaucherous, discussing a hookup between multiple women while also incorporating a genius guitar sample of the “Pink Panther” theme song. If this song were sung by a man, it would likely come off as being degrading towards women, but Collins spins it to explore queerness and make it come off as more of a “if men can make music like this, then why can’t women?-type scenario.
My sole complaint is that the songs are a bit too short, with the entire 6-song EP clocking in at a mere 13 minutes, and the longest track, “Pink Bubblegum” only having a runtime of 2 minutes and 33 seconds. While this is likely due to Tik Tok’s influence on the industry, and especially due to Scene Queen’s utilization of the platform to build up her fanbase, by the end of the EP I was left wanting more.
In all, though her music is definitely not going to appeal to everyone, it’s not supposed to – Scene Queen is for those who are into alt music but haven’t felt accepted by the community by helping carve out a space for them, and hopefully helping pave the way for more different voices in the scene.
Highlights – Pink Panther, Pink Rover, Pink Bubblegum
Bimbocore is available now on various streaming services.
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