100 Bands in 100 Days Presented by Verity Credit Union — Day 32: Prom Queen
Ladies and gentlemen, and all local music enthusiasts, welcome back to the fourth annual outing of our year-end daily local music spotlight, 100 Bands in 100 Days, where every day until December 31st, we’ll be showcasing a new band or artist on the cutting edge of the Northwest, presented by Verity Credit Union. Make sure to check the #100Bands100Days hashtag at Twitter daily to stay on top of all the bands featured, and make sure to follow Verity on Twitter and NW_Music_Scene as well. Some days the featured act could be an established and locally-adored Northwest-based musician and other times they could be a band with a small following that just hasn’t had their deserved time in the sun yet. Either way, we’re fairly confident you can come away from this daily segment with plenty of new favorites. Today’s edition of this showcase takes us to Seattle’s ever-diverse music scene, to look at a project that’s helping keep Seattle weird and exciting, Prom Queen.
Prom Queen is a truly genre-defying artist. What originally started as the solo endeavor of singer-songwriter and producer Leeni Queeno has escalated into one of Seattle’s boldest and most instantly-recognizable names of the modern age. Prom Queen’s music is most defined by its beautiful nostalgic sensibilities; while there’s a sincere rock and roll edge to Prom Queen’s music, strong inspiration from the worlds of doo-wop and early girl group pop color the project’s music from head to toe. Throw in irresistible and sticky vocal melodies, peppy instrumentation, and charismatic lead vocals and lyrics that are both pessimistic and endearing, and you have some of the best local albums of the past few years.
On Prom Queen’s latest album, Doom-Wop, Leeni Queeno’s sharp and acerbic sense of humor blends perfectly with the project’s tightest-written material to date. Opening track “End of the World” is a perfect inlet into the mind of Prom Queen, with a jangly, bright guitar melody dancing behind Queeno quietly and passionately singing about the end of the world as we know it. They don’t seem to want to let a fiery apocalypse get in the way of a good time, though, with later songs like “Pianos and Bricks” and “Manic Panic” serving as punchy highlights. Prior to Doom-Wop, Prom Queen released their most popular song to date, the unexpected viral SoundCloud hit “Stranger Peaks,” a mashup of the Stranger Things theme with the eerie Twin Peaks theme.
Those of you on the lookout for Seattle rock reviving old styles in fresh and creative new ways, Prom Queen is your new obsession.
(Listen to Doom-Wop below; you can keep up with Prom Queen via Facebook.)
Submissions for 100 Bands in 100 Days are still open to any Pacific Northwest band interested in submitting. If you would like to submit for a chance to be featured in this segment, consult this link for more information on how you can do so.
A huge shoutout to Verity Credit Union for doing so much for the music community and for being such a great partner.
