Retinal Bloom
{{Short description|2023 album by the Scary Jokes}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2023}}
{{Infobox album
| name = Retinal Bloom
| type = studio
| artist = the Scary Jokes
| cover = Retinal_Bloom.jpg
| alt =
| released = May 26, 2023
| recorded =
| venue =
| studio =
| genre = {{hlist|Psychedelic pop|neo-psychedelia|art pop}}
| length = 44:13
| label = Needlejuice Records
| producer = {{hlist|The Scary Jokes|Angel Marcloid}}
| prev_title = BURN PYGMALION!!! A Better Guide to Romance
| prev_year = 2019
| next_title =
| next_year =
}}
Retinal Bloom is the fourth studio album by the Scary Jokes, the musical project of American singer-songwriter Liz Lehman. The album was released on May 26, 2023, by Needlejuice Records on streaming services, CD, vinyl, and cassette. All songs were written by Lehman and produced by Lehman and Angel Marcloid.{{cite web|url=https://floodmagazine.com/127559/the-scary-jokes-our-murderous-descent-first-listen/|title=The Scary Jokes Push Through Unrelenting Force on New Single "Our Murderous Descent"|last=Ruckle|first=Taylor|date=March 9, 2023|website=Flood Magazine|access-date=May 26, 2023|archive-date=April 4, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230404153444/https://floodmagazine.com/127559/the-scary-jokes-our-murderous-descent-first-listen/|url-status=live}}
Retinal Bloom has been described as "nightmare pop", with a darker mood and more abstract lyrics compared to their previous album, BURN PYGMALION!!! A Better Guide to Romance.{{cite web|url=https://daily.bandcamp.com/features/the-scary-jokes-retinal-bloom-interview|title=The "Nightmare Pop" of The Scary Jokes|last1=Marlin|first1=Natalie|date=May 26, 2023|website=Bandcamp Daily|publisher=Bandcamp|access-date=May 26, 2023|archive-date=May 26, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230526182242/https://daily.bandcamp.com/features/the-scary-jokes-retinal-bloom-interview|url-status=live}}
Songs
Retinal Bloom was supported by the singles "Magic Hat," "Our Murderous Descent," "Uzumaki," "Elephant Foot," and "Riptide". Lehman was inspired to write "Our Murderous Descent" after standing near a large waterfall; during the songwriting process, they{{efn|Lehman is non-binary and uses they/them pronouns.}} connected the concept of standing up under the force of a waterfall to members of the LGBTQ community supporting each other in the face of hostility.{{cite web|url=https://www.wonderlandmagazine.com/2023/03/13/premiere-the-scary-jokes/|title=Premiere: The Scary Jokes – "Our Murderous Descent"|date=March 13, 2023|website=Wonderland|access-date=July 31, 2023}} "Riptide" is based on the 2009 horror comedy film Jennifer's Body and the media's exploitation of the film's lead actress, Megan Fox.{{cite web|url=https://www.theaureview.com/music/exclusive-single-premiere-the-scary-jokes-riptide-2023/|title=Exclusive Single Premiere: The Scary Jokes "Riptide" (2023)|last=Baker|first=Bruce|date=May 10, 2023|website=The AU Review|access-date=July 31, 2023}}
The song "Elephant Foot" contains lyrics which pertain to the Elephant's Foot, a mass of radioactive material underneath the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, and to hostility faced by Lehman due to their queer identity and status as an Internet personality.{{cite web|url=https://www.thefader.com/2023/05/24/watch-the-scary-jokes-elephant-foot-video|title=Watch The Scary Jokes' "Elephant Foot" video, a dystopian tale of device dependence|last=Helfand|first=Raphael|date=May 24, 2023|website=The Fader|access-date=July 31, 2023}}
Track listing
{{Track listing
| all_writing = Liz Lehman
| title1 = Our Murderous Descent
| length1 = 4:21
| title2 = Riptide
| length2 = 4:09
| title3 = Magic Hat
| length3 = 5:02
| title4 = Forever in You
| length4 = 4:36
| title5 = Uzumaki
| length5 = 4:01
| title6 = Elephant Foot
| length6 = 4:13
| title7 = Parthenogenesis
| length7 = 4:30
| title8 = Rage
| length8 = 4:45
| title9 = Demons of Accident
| length9 = 4:13
| title10 = Retreat to Celestial Bodies
| length10 = 4:23
| total_length = 44:13
}}
Personnel
- Liz Lehman – producer, artwork
- Angel Marcloid – producer, mixing, mastering
- Brandon Brown – layout, photography, executive producer
- Jace McLain – executive producer
Notes
{{Notelist}}
References
{{Reflist}}
{{Authority control}}
{{Category improve|date=July 2023}}