An Evil Skipping Rhyme

Suzi Wu “Teenage Witch”

“Teenage Witch” opens with a lo-fi benediction: “Ashes to ashes, dust to dust, the guys are fuckboys, the girls are sluts.” It’s very provocative and sets the tone lyrically, but doesn’t tip off the ambition of the music. The song is definitely pop, but in a very aggressive mid-‘90s way in which the hooks come at you with a sort of fuck-you violence and an off-kilter funk. Honestly, it’s refreshing to hear a very young artist tap into this sort of energy – I’ve found it troubling how much music in 2017 has been chill or sedate. I realize that there’s a lag to when and how songs get released, but regardless of when Wu recorded this, “Teenage Witch” has a nervy, abrasive, and defiant edge that feels necessary right now. And that chorus feels right too: “I’m too scared to live / too stoned to die.”

Buy it from Bandcamp.