Review: Tenue - Territorios

Label: Zegema Beach Records, 
Alerta Antifascista Records, etc.

We're living in fast moving world. And that fast pace also reflects on our listening behaviour. I would call myself an album-fan. That's the master class to manage for every songwriter. There are loads of bands that wrote a handful of catchy tracks in their career but how many of them wrote a near-perfect album? Yeah, you're right. Not many of them. The new technologies definitely changed my listening behaviour. I still love to take some time, sit down and enjoy an album front to back. But Youtube, Bandcamp and countless Music-apps made a lasting impact. It's way too easy nowadays to skip from record to record, it's way too easy to create your own playlist in a hurry. And thus I often just pick my favourite songs, stealing many album's chances to grow on me as... yeah, as an album...

...but what happens when there is no skipping from track to track? What are we supposed to do if we can't pick our favourite song for our playlist? Well, try "Territorios" by TENUE. The Spanish folks wrote a 30-minute-long track that IS their new album. A clever bunch, just turnin' my habits upside down, challenging me to something else. I guess I like that!

I really took my time with this record. Since I got to know "Territorios" I spend like three hours with this record up to this point. That equals 6 full playthroughs. Cause... guess what... you just listen to this stuff front to back. Where else should you start? Where else should you end? It's fascinating indeed and I guess that's what the band strived for.

TENUE combine Screamo and Post-Metal/Post-Rock with some Neocrust-touches. And they deliver. "Territorios" should appeal to fans of this "New Wave" of Screamo, to fans of PORTRAYAL OF GUILT or INFANT ISLAND. There are also some similiarities to the Euro-Screamo that was huge in the 2000s. But with that different approach "Territorios" is quite hard to compare to records from similar bands. The spanish 3-piece does a great job when it comes to the flow of this 30-minute-monster-song. I've got to mention that they don't have that typical Post-Rock-Ambient-part where nothing at all happens for a couple of minutes besides some picked guitar strings. That's something that made it even harder for the lads, but they keep the pace appropiate troughout. 

TENUE tone the thing down a little bit in the middle of the song/record, but not for long. I like how these whole 30 minutes flow naturally. It doesn't feel constructed neither does it feel contrived. There are no special hooks or memorable parts hidden within the whole song but they didn't go that route, they were opting for a complete work there and they hit home as you can feel the passion and all the thoughts that went into the songwriting. 

Favourite Track: "Territorios". I'm sure 'bout that one!

Rating: 7 out of 10

Tenue on Bandcamp
Tenue on Facebook

Besides Zegema Beach and Alerta Antifascista the Vinyl is also released via Pifia Records, Longlegslongarms Records, Crust or Die & The Plague of Man Records. The Cassette-version is delivered by Mochi Tapes, Tomb Tree Tapes & Chaina Records. And you can get a CD-Version from Moment of Collapse Records.