''Wasteisolation'' (stylized in

all caps In typography, text or font in all caps (short for "all capitals") contains capital letters without any lowercase letters. For example: All-caps text can be seen in legal documents, advertisements, newspaper headlines, and the titles on book co ...

) is the debut

studio album An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track cartridge, 8-track or Cassette tape, cassette), or digital distribution, dig ...

by Canadian

noise pop Noise pop is a subgenre of alternative and indie rock that developed in the mid-1980s in the United Kingdom and United States. It is defined by its mixture of dissonant noise or feedback with the songcraft more often found in pop music. Shoegaz ...

duo

Black Dresses Black Dresses was a Canadian noise pop duo consisting of Ada Rook and Devi McCallion, formed in 2017. Their debut album, ''Wasteisolation'', was released independently in 2018. The duo released three additional albums, ''Thank You'' (2019), ''Lo ...

, released on April 13, 2018.

Recording and release

The album was recorded between late 2017 and early 2018 and was created entirely through online collaboration with audio files being sent between band members Ada Rook and Devi McCallion via

Twitter Twitter, officially known as X since 2023, is an American microblogging and social networking service. It is one of the world's largest social media platforms and one of the most-visited websites. Users can share short text messages, image ...

direct messages. The album was released on April 13, 2018. ''Dreams Come True 2019'', an EP of ''Wasteisolation'' remixes, was released for its first anniversary, and the duo's fourth studio album '' Peaceful as Hell'' was later released on its second anniversary.

Style and themes

Musically, the album has been described as

and industrial pop, and was inspired by

noise Noise is sound, chiefly unwanted, unintentional, or harmful sound considered unpleasant, loud, or disruptive to mental or hearing faculties. From a physics standpoint, there is no distinction between noise and desired sound, as both are vibrat ...

and

pop music Pop music is a genre of popular music that originated in its modern form during the mid-1950s in the United States and the United Kingdom.S. Frith, W. Straw, and J. Street, eds, ''iarchive:cambridgecompani00frit, The Cambridge Companion to Pop ...

of the

2010s File:2010s collage v22.png, From top left, clockwise: Anti-government protests called the Arab Spring arose in 2010–2011, and as a result, many governments were overthrown, including when Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi was Death of Muammar Gad ...

such as

Sleigh Bells A jingle bell or sleigh bell is a type of bell which produces a distinctive 'jingle' sound, especially in large numbers. They find use in many areas as a percussion instrument, including the classic sleigh bell sound and morris dancing. Th ...

and

Linkin Park Linkin Park is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Agoura Hills, California, in 1996. The band's current lineup consists of vocalist/rhythm guitarist/keyboardist Mike Shinoda, lead guitarist Brad Delson, DJ/turntablist Joe Hahn, bass ...

. The album explores themes such as

child sexual abuse Child sexual abuse (CSA), also called child molestation, is a form of child abuse in which an adult or older adolescent uses a child for sexual stimulation. Forms of child sexual abuse include engaging in Human sexual activity, sexual activit ...

trauma Trauma most often refers to: *Psychological trauma, in psychology and psychiatric medicine, refers to severe mental and emotional injury caused by distressing events *Traumatic injury, sudden physical injury caused by an external force, which doe ...

, isolation, existence, rage,

transmisogyny Transmisogyny, otherwise known as trans-misogyny and transphobic misogyny, is the intersection of transphobia and misogyny as experienced by trans women and transfeminine people. The term was coined by Julia Serano in her 2007 book '' Whip ...

, and politicians' use of the term "

thoughts and prayers "Thoughts and prayers" is a phrase commonly used by politicians, public figures, and celebrities, particularly in the United States, as a condolence after a deadly event such as a natural disaster or mass shooting. The phrase "thoughts and pr ...

". The treatment of themes such as trauma on the album has been described as hopeful and cathartic, and McCallion said that they had aimed "for people to resonate with it if they’ve been in that dark place" when covering such themes.

Reception

Critical reception

James Rettig of ''

Stereogum ''Stereogum'' is a daily Internet publication that focuses on music news, reviews, interviews, and commentary. The site was created in January 2002 by Scott Lapatine. ''Stereogum'' was one of the first MP3 blogs and has received several awar ...

'' felt that the album was catchy and danceable, and praised the

queer ''Queer'' is an umbrella term for people who are non-heterosexual or non- cisgender. Originally meaning or , ''queer'' came to be used pejoratively against LGBTQ people in the late 19th century. From the late 1980s, queer activists began to ...

themes on the album concluding "That back-and-forth struggle should be familiar to anyone who identifies as queer: the pull between just wanting to exist and not wanting to die. That’s the experience that ''WASTEISOLATION'' captures best, in all its grotesque and beautiful glory." Sasha Geffen of ''

The Fader ''The Fader'' is a magazine established in 1999 as an outlet for Cornerstone Agency, a marketing and public relations firm established by Rob Stone and Jon Cohen. The magazine covers music, style and culture. History and work It is owned by T ...

'' described the album as "raw, abrasive, and deliriously catchy" and said that its songs "offer comfort and catharsis not because they promise that everything will get better but because they show you how to riot through hell." The album was featured in ''

Noisey ''Vice'' (stylized in all caps) is a Canadian-American magazine focused on lifestyle, arts, culture, and news/politics. It was founded in 1994 in Montreal as an alternative punk magazine, and its founders later launched the youth media company ...

'''s July "40 Essential Albums You Probably Missed So Far in 2018" list in which Colin Joyce praised the album's musical style and heavy lyrical themes, and felt that despite these heavy themes " cCallionand Rook find some hope embedded in the chaos. Even at their most frayed, they feel triumphant, somehow." ''Nylon'' included the album on their list of 11 Unapologetically Queer Albums You Might Have Missed This Summer and summarised the album saying "More

punk Punk or punks may refer to: Genres, subculture, and related aspects * Punk rock, a music genre originating in the 1970s associated with various subgenres * Punk subculture, a subculture associated with punk rock, or aspects of the subculture s ...

than any album with guitars, Black Dresses uses glitchy soundscapes and guttural moaning to express the desperation of

trans women A trans woman or transgender woman is a woman who was assigned male at birth. Trans women have a female gender identity and may experience gender dysphoria (distress brought upon by the discrepancy between a person's gender identity and their ...

who just want to be left the fuck alone." ''The Fader'' described the song "Wiggle" as a standout track, listing it as one of their "20 songs you're sleeping on right now" list in April 2018.

Public response

The album was a viral success on the video-sharing website

TikTok TikTok, known in mainland China and Hong Kong as Douyin (), is a social media and Short-form content, short-form online video platform owned by Chinese Internet company ByteDance. It hosts user-submitted videos, which may range in duration f ...

. The success of songs on the album led to invasion of privacy and extended harassment against McCallion by what the duo described as "entitled fans", eventually leading to the disbandment of the duo in 2020.

Accolades

Track listing

References

{{Black Dresses 2018 debut albums Transgender-related music Black Dresses albums Electro-industrial albums