It was a few short years ago that Nestor came virtually out of nowhere to much praise and derision with their debut album, Kids in a Ghost Town. Admittedly, as enjoyable as the album was, there was an underlying tongue in cheek/jokey feel to the whole affair, even more so than most ’80s AOR worship acts. And while I label them an “’80s AOR worship act”, it just so turns out we can now confirm that Nestor actually DID form in the ’80s. When this little detail was pushed upon the release of Kids in ’21, I and many others assumed it was part of their schtick. “Sure, they formed in ’89 and took 30+ years to release their first album. Real funny.” Look’s like the joke’s on us.
Taking into consideration that Nestor are now well into their second act, with a legion of fans and a slew of prized festival slots to their name, the band is looking ahead with their second album, Teenage Rebel. Whereas Kids gave off a serious Steel Panther goes AOR vibe, Teenage Rebel is a far more mature release all around, both musically and lyrically. That said, never fear children of the Reagan age! Nestor manages to break these new frontiers (or at least as much as one can do so within the AOR sphere) without losing their signature neon lit quirk.
Much like Kids before it, Teenage Rebel keeps things strictly old school, drawing heavily and exclusively from the ’80s AOR well. From the opening bombast of “We Come Alive”, a blood boiling banger that sounds straight out of a Stallone training montage, we’re immediately transported from 2024 to 1984. Harder edged cuts like the title track, “Addicted to Your Love”, “21”, and “Unchain My Heart” are easily this outing’s strongest, channeling such legends of yesteryear like Night Ranger, Europe, and glam metal era KISS. If nothing more, Nestor sure knows how to put together a melodic hard rocker with energy and glitz.
On the flipside, roughly half of Teenage Rebel can be filed in the adult contemporary category, but don’t take that as a bad thing. “Last to Know” is a masterfully crafted ballad that hits all the right spots, while “Victorious” and “Caroline” sound like they could’ve been straight off of Journey’s Raised on Radio. The only real duds on this album, just like Kids before it, are the piano ballads. In this case, it’s “The One That Got Away” and the closing “Daughter”. Sonically, these two lie far too close to wine mom era Chicago for my liking, especially “Daughter”. Why this closes the album and not the fiery “Unchain My Heart” is beyond me, but alas, life moves on.
A pair of sleepy missteps aside, Teenage Rebel is yet another fulfilling AOR adventure through the retro-verse, guaranteed to please mullet headed, Pit Viper eyed melodic rockers of all ages. With their penchant for ’80s romanticism and flashy visual image, Nestor have the tools of the trade to break stateside, just like fellow Swedes Ghost before them. The question remains: Would mainstream rock radio be brave enough to play any of these songs and give them a proper push? One can only hope because lord knows we’re all burnt out on Nickelback clone #10,000.
8 out of 10
Label: Napalm Records
Genre: AOR
For fans of: Journey, Survivor, Night Ranger