October LGBTQ music: Victoria Monét and Imperial Teen
This month, Gay City News reviews new albums from bi R&B singer Victoria Monét and indie rock band Imperial Teen, whose members Will Schwartz and Roddy Bottum are gay. Victoria Monét | “Frequency of Love” | RCA If you’ve enjoyed Ariana Grande’s “Ghostin,” “Thank U Next,” or “34+35,” you’ve already heard Victoria Monet’s handiwork. She’s … Read More
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This month, Gay City News reviews new albums from bi R&B singer Victoria Monét and indie rock band Imperial Teen, whose members Will Schwartz and Roddy Bottum are gay.
Victoria Monét | “Frequency of Love” | RCA
If you’ve enjoyed Ariana Grande’s “Ghostin,” “Thank U Next,” or “34+35,” you’ve already heard Victoria Monet’s handiwork. She’s stepped into the spotlight after working behind the scenes as a songwriter and producer for a host of other artists. Her path towards a solo career has been quite long. She’s on her second round with a major label. She released her debut ep back in 2014, but her first album “Jaguar II” only came out in 2023.
The production on her second album, “Frequency of Love,” achieves a lush, pillowy scope, preserving a degree of open space. Strings glisten, harps tinkle, and two songs even bring out a sitar. The guest list is packed: SZA, Bruno Mars, Bryson Tiller, Leon Thomas, Chloe, Lucky Daye. Extending to 22 songs, it was meant to be heard as a whole. Orchestration isn’t Monét’s only mode. Her songs’ dynamics span a wide range, from the stripped-down to the maximalist. The spare drums and pads of “Head To Toe,” which move forward at a crawl, showcase her layered vocals.
Throughout “Frequency of Love,” Monét longs for a connection that will end loneliness. “Say Dat” yearns to take “this body off ice.” Love songs can easily drown in standardized words and ideas. When Monét sings about this subject, she’s able to transcend them. Simple phrases like “you mean the world to me,” “don’t you know that I will always come back to you?” and “baby, can you kiss me head toe?” imply a renewal of the spirit. Desire becomes a source of hope, finally found by the album’s end. Even the interlude “Money” makes materialism sound heartfelt. “You Hurt Me Too” testifies to betrayal with a clanking drum loop. “Almost” laments sexual frustration.
If “That’s Why I Love You,” a duet with Bruno Mars, overdoes its theatrics, the rest of the album never turns bombastic.
2026 has been a banner year for R&B, with first-rate albums from Jhené Aiko, Kelela, Kehlani and Dawn Richard and the returns of Jill Scott and Erykah Badu. As hip-hop fades from commercial prominence, its elder sibling has found a renewed focus. “Frequency of Love” turns towards history for ideas, down to interpolations of Brandy, Suzanne Vega, Kenny Lattimore and Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell and samples of Joe and Dru Hill, “You’re All I Need To Get By,” without getting lost in the past. Monet grabs the baton from these singers and runs a marathon with it.
Imperial Teen | “All Over You” | Merge | Oct. 9
[caption id="attachment_65448" align="aligncenter" width="565"]
Imperial Teen's “All Over You” debuted Oct. 9.Milan Zrnic[/caption]
Back in 1996, when Imperial Teen’s debut “Seasick” dropped, they offered something new in rock music. Their songs centered gay men’s experiences. Bottum, who had been Faith No More’s keyboardist, spoke about his sexuality during a 1993 interview with “The Advocate.” He beat many more prominent musicians out of the closet. Although he was Faith No More’s only queer member, their singer, Mike Patton, proudly performed Bottum’s “Be Aggressive,” an ode to giving men head. Initially seen as a Faith No More offshoot, Imperial Teen quickly established their differences from that band’s arty hard rock, blending indie rock with power pop. Despite a thirty-year run, they’ve only released seven albums. After getting dropped by a major label after 1998’s “What Not To Love“ and a tour with Hole, they gave up any careerist impulses. Each time they’ve emerged, they’ve offered a new installment of an update on their lives.
Imperial Teen pass the baton from member to member. The band swaps instruments. Bassist Jone Stebbins and drummer Lynn Breedlove share vocal duties with Bottum and Schwartz, often delivering cheerleader-style chants. They speak with a collective voice that still allows each member to heard.
Even in the 2000s, Imperial Teen sang about middle age. “Hands All Up” and “Probably So” tackle the indignities of continuing life as a part-time musician. “Bringing It Down” observes “we used to not wear glasses/the spaces are closing/the world is decomposing in the round.” Despite these concerns, the music is as lively and joyful as ever, sporting melodic basslines and fuzzed-out synthesizer. Bottum’s piano boosts “Hand All Up.” The production is pleasantly gritty.
Despite the care that went into Imperial Teen’s songwriting, “All Over You” feels a bit informal, although not unpleasantly. By this point, they’re not trying to win anyone over. If it’s a rather meat-and-potatoes album, it delivers on the band’s best qualities.
Imperial Teen's “All Over You” debuted Oct. 9.Milan Zrnic[/caption]
Back in 1996, when Imperial Teen’s debut “Seasick” dropped, they offered something new in rock music. Their songs centered gay men’s experiences. Bottum, who had been Faith No More’s keyboardist, spoke about his sexuality during a 1993 interview with “The Advocate.” He beat many more prominent musicians out of the closet. Although he was Faith No More’s only queer member, their singer, Mike Patton, proudly performed Bottum’s “Be Aggressive,” an ode to giving men head. Initially seen as a Faith No More offshoot, Imperial Teen quickly established their differences from that band’s arty hard rock, blending indie rock with power pop. Despite a thirty-year run, they’ve only released seven albums. After getting dropped by a major label after 1998’s “What Not To Love“ and a tour with Hole, they gave up any careerist impulses. Each time they’ve emerged, they’ve offered a new installment of an update on their lives.
Imperial Teen pass the baton from member to member. The band swaps instruments. Bassist Jone Stebbins and drummer Lynn Breedlove share vocal duties with Bottum and Schwartz, often delivering cheerleader-style chants. They speak with a collective voice that still allows each member to heard.
Even in the 2000s, Imperial Teen sang about middle age. “Hands All Up” and “Probably So” tackle the indignities of continuing life as a part-time musician. “Bringing It Down” observes “we used to not wear glasses/the spaces are closing/the world is decomposing in the round.” Despite these concerns, the music is as lively and joyful as ever, sporting melodic basslines and fuzzed-out synthesizer. Bottum’s piano boosts “Hand All Up.” The production is pleasantly gritty.
Despite the care that went into Imperial Teen’s songwriting, “All Over You” feels a bit informal, although not unpleasantly. By this point, they’re not trying to win anyone over. If it’s a rather meat-and-potatoes album, it delivers on the band’s best qualities. 
