Scene Queen - Hot Singles in Your Area [Pink & Blue Split]

Scene Queen's debut album arrives on pink and blue split vinyl, a fittingly loud colour scheme for a record that smashes metalcore breakdowns into glittering, tongue-in-cheek pop.

She calls her sound bimbocore, a hyperfeminine twist on heavy music that uses humour, camp and bubblegum hooks to poke at the sexism she sees in the scene. After a run of Bimbocore EPs on Hopeless Records, Hot Singles in Your Area landed in 2024 as her first full-length statement, bigger, brasher and more confident than anything before it.

The lead single 18+ sets the tone, pairing chugging guitars and screamed hooks with a playful, sing-song chorus. Whips & Chains swings between pop sparkle and crushing riffs, Girls Gone Wild brings in Wargasm for a chaotic burst of nu-metal energy, and Stuck teams her with 6arelyhuman for a glossy, electro-tinged rush.

Throughout, the jokes land hard but the point underneath them is serious, a pushback against double standards that heavy music has long shrugged off.

Loud, provocative and very pink, it's a party record with a mean right hook, and this split pressing looks every bit as bold as the music sounds. Few debut albums arrive with a clearer sense of who their maker is.