Review / 200 Words Or Less
Tessela
Rough 2 EP

Different Grooves (2014) — Edward

Tessela – Rough 2 EP cover artwork
Tessela – Rough 2 EP — Different Grooves, 2014

This drug influenced, euro-electronic laser beam, drum and bass can be very, VERY repetitive, Anxiety inducing, tough to listen to, and at times I felt like it was going to trigger a panic attack or an audible seizure.

An ‘80s pop-locking, track suit wearing dance crew wouldn't touch this album that brings no emotion or anything of value to the table. 

It does have a deep and complex upbeat sound, although I can't imagine it being played anywhere else except a rave. There's so much going on, it can be overwhelming at times. I felt like I was listening to two space ships shooting laser beams at each other in a low budget science fiction movie. It brings back memories of playing Vectorman and feels like I got stuck in a Sega Genesis. I'm not sure how many times Tessela tries to get away with, “oh, you think the song is over...? Well, it’s not,” an example being track 2 titled “Butchwax” that will stop dead for a couple of seconds mid-song; only to kick in heavier with, pretty much, the same beat.

Luckily this is a short EP and I wasn't forced to listen to it longer than I had to.

3.0 / 10 — Edward • July 22, 2014

Tessela – Rough 2 EP cover artwork
Tessela – Rough 2 EP — Different Grooves, 2014

Recently-posted album reviews

Contention

Nuclear Summer
Daze (2026)

Contention, I would argue, has spent the last few years at or near the top of the heap of the return to 90's styled Straight Edge Metalcore. I am being specific because there is no mistaking Contention's influences nor their message. This is a STRAIGHT EDGE band that is far more indebted to Morning Again that anything that uses a … Read more

A Secret Revealed

The Ruin I Summoned Forth
Lifeforce (2026)

There are albums that use heaviness as an assault and others that use it to create an atmosphere. On The Ruin I Summoned Forth, A Secret Revealed manage to does both. The German quintet’s fourth full-length is an enormous, bleak piece of post-metal, but calling it post-metal only gets you part of the way there. Black metal cuts through its … Read more

Time Spent Driving

Lost Leaves
Thirty Something Records (2026)

There's a particular challenge facing bands that came out of the late '90s and early '00s emo scene. You can recreate the sound people remember and risk becoming your own nostalgia act, or you can abandon it entirely and risk losing whatever made the band matter in the first place. Time Spent Driving choose neither on Lost Leaves. More than … Read more