Hannah Collins a.k.a. SCENE QUEEN takes Bimbocore to a whole new level on her debut album, ‘Hot Singles In Your Area’, which hits the pink streets on 28th June via Hopeless Records. It is stacked full of good stuff including some collaborations with WARGASM, The Ready Set, and 6arelyhuman. Whatever excites you, whatever your kink is there is something on this record for you. SCENE QUEEN says this about the album “I wrote an album about growing up in the early 2000s but not exploring my sexuality until my 20s with all the messy and chaotic situations you find yourself in when you’re trying to find yourself and your own power.” She is at the vanguard of feminism and could probably bring down the patriarchy on her own given the power in her metal/ emo/ punk/ pop anthems. To look at her you might think Barbie, and yes the look is there, but the strength is so much more like G.I. Jane.
The album kicks off with “BDSM” (I told you there was something for every kink, right?) This is a full-on metal assault with nasty, dark pop vibes. This could be the Bimbocore national anthem. Her voice is so strong on this, what a way to open. The 2023 single “18+” tackles head-on the prevalence of so many bands being misogynistic and apparently happy to use underage girls. The chorus is like Gwen Stefani on steroids with a hook that Babymetal would kill for. Misogynists and predators are going to be scared shitless when they hear “Whips & Chains”, especially when they hear the lyric “gonna nail his dick to the wall of shame” It is a glorious metal pop song, which sadly won’t be heard on mainstream radio. Another totally anthemic single from last year plays next on this record, “Pink Push-Up Bra” This tune takes metal to a mountainous new level that many of SCENE QUEEN’s male peers are probably afraid to go to. These riffs are as hard as fucking hell! She showcases her signature style when she lays into circle jerkers everywhere with “Mutual Masturbation”. This chorus was hanging around in my head for days after I listened to it. WARGASM adds something to “Girls Gone Wild” but it is still full-on energetic femme fatale fury from the high priestess of Bimbocore. The guitar solo screams hard and slaps you in the face.
“POV” is another collaboration, this time with the Ready Set. It is first-class rap metal with riffs ripped straight from the early 70s glam rock peak. The title track “Hot Singles In Your Area” starts out like a cutesy country ballad, and then it rips out the beating heart of Nashville’s finest as its sonic attack throws you from one side of your padded cell to the other. Speaking of country, SCENE QUEEN goes metallic dosey doe on “MILF”. Maybe there will be a Bimbocore country album in the future, I reckon it would outclass Beyonce’s leisurely stroll in Ole Opry territory. I would love to hear Madonna tackle a SCENE QUEEN song, perhaps “Amateur” would be a good place to start. “Stuck” featuring 6arelyhuman was a single earlier this year and it encompasses everything that a song needs to top every chart in the world. Sadly this world is full of shit so that ain’t gonna happen. But an electro-dance remix of this track would be awesome. SCENE QUEEN is an ambassador for sexual freedom and that is perhaps never more clear than on “Finger” a song that extols the virtues of self-pleasure. If you like dark, dirty, sex-fuelled, dance vibes you will fucking love “PEG”. The guitar shredding on “Oral Fixation” is a DEFCON 1 event. This has the influence of PEACHES all over it. Appropriately the album closes with a song called “Climax” it is a Bimbocore power ballad that gives you just enough time to recover from the aural blitzkrieg of the album, before spinning it again! SCENE QUEEN has metaphorical balls of steel and is not afraid to question and challenge, misogynists, haters, and genre purists. She stands up and fights angrily and passionately for LGBTQ+ people and anyone unfortunate enough to have fallen through the cracks in this often vile world. Even if you don’t know it yet, you need SCENE QUEEN in your life and you need her NOW!
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