Queen Serene: “Glowing”

They say you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover. But in an era where song options are limitless, song lengths are preferred shorter, and attention spans are especially acute, patience rarely proves a virtue for new listeners, which means strong first impressions are still worth fighting for.

On that note, this time around we’ll spare the detailed specifics of how Naked Tungs frontwoman Sarah Ronan ascended to sovereign status of yet another four-piece and instead cut straight to it; Queen Serene will make you question every expectation you have about Austin rock. Because as shown on the band’s eponymous debut eight-track from last Fall, Queen Serene serenades through all kinds of courts – from post-punk, grunge, and shoegaze to progressive time signature switch ups, noise, and even ambient piano-synth instrumental. Which, honestly if you were to make assumptions based on the group’s handle alone, really only that last isolated style might match your initial inclinations.

Queen Serene’s current quest? Perfecting the quartet’s second full-length, set to drop this October. Fortunately this weekend us peasants can score a quick listen to some of Queen Serene’s latest through their single release show 10:45PM on Sunday at Hotel Vegas alongside openers Variety at 10PM and closers Water Damage at 11:30 And particularly in a period where women in leadership roles and limited information rollout have both become hot topics in the headlines, we gotta appreciate this sophomore LP’s sole lead single, “Glowing”, for what it is and in all its majesty.

Eager screeches sporadically burst throughout this near-five-minute headbanger, whose distorted full-band riff is heavier than the Iron Throne ever could be. But in line with their penchant for subverting expectations, Queen Serene regally reshapes the mood of “Glowing” with a poppier verse chock full of pleasant vocal harmonies and strangled lead guitar. The lyric-less bridge-to-outro section is arguably the heftiest part of this heavyweight and sets things up nicely for an immediate re-listen.

But again, based on Queen Serene’s ability to keep us guessing, who knows where this post-hardcore spark will eventually lead us? One thing we’re sure of though; Queen Serene’s about to go medieval on our collective ass.

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