Like life itself, Tianna Esperanzaโs Terror has moments of both trauma and humor โ and it gets my early vote for Album of the Year.
Esperanza comes from rock royalty, so itโs not surprising that sheโs this versatile. Her grandmother is Paloma McLardy aka Palmolive, the drummer and founder of the legendary UK punk band The Slits. Tianna grew up in Cape Cod, Massachusetts, the affluent, primarily white resort town. Thatโs one reason why her worldview is so wide-ranging. She counts both Nina Simone and Eminem as huge musical influences.
With songs that shift from stark to sassy, this album has something for everyone. The title track is a harrowing retelling of her siblingโs sexual abuse and death. โPrincess Slit and The Raincoat Princeโ is a punk-flavored tribute to her grandmother, while โBuy You A New Attitudeโ has attitude to spare. In the songโs video, Tianna dances with young sailors in a spoof of old Gene Kelly movies. But 1950s films never had lines like this: โI emasculate every man I meet, I try not to but they canโt stand up to me.โ
Says Tianna: โI wanted to honor every part of me on this album. I knew that I had a story. But thereโs so much more that I havenโt spoken about. Iโm saving that for my sophomore album and everything else to come.โ
Terror is a work of extraordinary depth and stylistic range. In short, itโs a โmake you cry, make you laughโ masterpiece.
Watch the video for โBuy You A New Attitudeโ below, or listen to the whole album on your favorite streamer.
Tianna Esperanzaโs debut album Terror is out now. Follow her on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
