Album Review: Trainwreck Boyfriend – Trainwreck Boyfriend

Philadelphia’s Trainwreck Boyfriend have referred to their music as ‘messy and melodic,’ and added to its 90s rock energy, that makes for some great songs on their self-titled album.

That 90s quality hits an epic home run on Apartment Life, with a shoegaze guitar finding a great balance in strings that hit soft and sharp tones as the emotional tones of the track shift gradually and with ease.

Trainwreck Boyfriend cite The Beths as a main influence – the band formed after a chance meeting of Philadelphia musicians at two shows by The Beths in 2023 – and that angular jangle/buzz crossover can be heard on Feels Like Summer and Broke.

The string section also appears on Apartment Life and Broke, and they introduce differing colours to the album, with that indie anti-pop of The Cranberries’ early singles and later releases of The Smiths making a valued but not overly intrusive contribution.

Vocalist Greta Madeline has a versatile and varied delivery, preppy punk like Kathleen Hanna at times, yet even when the lyrics get messy in terms of subject matter, she always has a smooth, emotionally resonant, talking to you like a friend sharing their secrets, accepting yours, or offering support.

A great feature of the album is how it flows; the tracks approach their shared sonic palette from different places, most of all when it comes to tempo and emotional intensity, yet it feels like a cohesive and complete work. And that is something to be valued in the day of the ever-shorter, disconnected releases.

Trainwreck Boyfriend is a compendium of love songs, dedicated to and inspired by female-fronted indie bands of the 90s and beyond, taking their grit, glamour, and determination to gift the listener something beautiful – a flawless album that respects the past but lives in the present.  

The album can be streamed on Spotify and is available in digital, vinyl, and CD formats on Bandcamp. For band news and other streaming options, head to Facebook or Instagram.