Teen Song Reviews: QLD

We tasked a group of Aussie teens to rifle through their record bins and pick a track they’ve been spinning lately. Meet the next gen of Queenslander music reviewers and the killer songs soundtracking their lives from Issue #1 of Teen Spirit

Bassvictim - ‘Forever salty’

Basspunk 2 (2025)
INDEPENDENT

The raw, abrasive, defiance in Bassvictim’s ‘Forever Salty’ leaves no room for open-endedness or questions. Instead, the modern electroclash duo carry a sense of finality, imbuing each beat with a jaded frustration. The energy of this track is volatile, unpredictable and yet, so infectious. The transition from vocalist Maria Manow’s melodic, almost sing-song verse, “if you need to say something, just say it,” into the brash, adrenalized chorus, channels a sudden release of pent-up tension that has long bubbled below the surface. ‘Forever Salty’ is the culmination of Bassvictim’s distinctly confessional, instrumentally-oversaturated style, into 2 minutes and 25 seconds worth of gaudy, pumping, triumphant resentment.

Sounds like: Being thrown around underwater by rough surf.

By Gabrielle K (17, QLD)

Paris Paloma - ‘Miyazaki’

SINGLE (2026)
PLUM TREE MUSIC & NETTWERK MUSIC GROUP INC.

‘Miyazaki’ by Paris Paloma explores the terrifyingly real possibilities of art becoming something that is no longer explicitly human, and strongly protests it. “I won’t let you take it from me,” is a strong line that breathes the song to life, and on my first ever listen, stuck with me so harshly. The track embodies hopefulness, it’s airy, light, and the kind of thing you need to dance to. It gives back what AI can easily take and attempt to replicate: creativity. In times like this, the message of ‘Miyazaki’ is so important, emotionally charged and resonates deeply. I encourage anyone who is musically or artistically inclined to add this absolutely breathtaking song to their playlist.

Sounds like: A willingness to fight for the future, and a deep desperation to create.

Bea E (18, QLD)

Billie Eilish - ‘Ocean Eyes’

dont smile at me (2017)
INTERSCOPE RECORDS

Like drifting underwater with your eyes open, ‘Ocean Eyes’ pulls you into a motionless, calming dream. Billie Eilish’s soft vocals pull you into a hypnotic trance, creating a sound that feels both transcendent and immersive. Written by her brother Finneas, the track blends precise production with lyrics that capture the overwhelming feeling of being completely carried away and infatuated with love and emotion. “I’ve never fallen from quite this high, falling into your ocean eyes,” is the lettuce to the salad, implying how deeply someone has fallen into love, something so surreal and personal. Compared to louder pop hits, the song projects a utopian feeling you can visualise, almost like you’ve lived it before.

Sounds like: Playing with a Rubik’s Cube over and over again until it eventually hypnotises you.

By Klaire V (16, QLD)

Noah Kahan - ‘The View Between Villages (Extended)’

Stick Season (We’ll All Be Here Forever (2023)
MERCURY RECORDS & REPUBLIC RECORDS

‘The View Between Villages (Extended)’ by Noah Kahan is a song that perfectly captures the struggle of wanting to go home, then arriving and needing to leave because you’re just not the same person anymore. It’s a common theme in Kahan’s music, resent for his hometown and then regret of leaving. “Left at the graveyard, I’m driving past ghosts, their arms are extended, my eyes start to close.” Letting yourself fall into the comforts of a life once lived long ago, a line backed up earlier in the song by, “Feel the rush of my blood, I’m 17 again.” It’s something so relatable, wishing to go back to easier times. The song is full of simple but loaded lyrics that are guaranteed to leave you thinking introspectively about who you are and where you came from.

Sounds like: A feeling that rests deep in your soul.

Bea E (18, QLD)

READ MORE: Teen Song Reviews: South Australia