Terror Terror emerged from the wreckage of two defunct Chiang Mai bands. In their early practices, members were guarded and emotionally raw from the recent fallout of their projects. Were they ready for another collaboration that would demand vulnerability and end in the same toxicity they had just escaped? In this context, “Emasculation” took shape. The song lyrics explore the personal experience of a woman enduring the subjugation of the male gaze and serve a wider critique of the resurgence of unapologetic misogyny, particularly in the foreign members’ home country, the United States. With members growing up in the American underground music scene, Terror Terror is no stranger to communities promoting feminism and LGBTQ+ equality. On February 6th, the band released the music video for “Emasculation,” a visual amplification of the song’s anti-patriarchal message produced by local filmmakers At North Films. At its core, the video is a celebration of female empowerment and gender inclusivity, including scenes in a local hair salon and ending with a catwalk in a second-hand clothing store.
Musically, the track evolves with deliberate contrast: its first half driven by a hypnotic, looping riff that is suddenly interrupted by a fuzzed-out guitar phrase. Just as the energy of the song reaches its apex, the mood shifts dramatically into a slow-burning, melancholic interplay between bass, guitar and vocals, juxtaposed to the words, Frustration, Emasculation, Elation, Ejaculation.
It offers an opportunity, to live in frustrated dejection, condemning and confining identity, or to choose the elation, joy and celebration of identity in all forms.
Terror Terror blends Western post-punk urgency with Thai indie experimentalism, weaving together sharp alt-rock layers, driving rhythms, and a raw, unfiltered energy. Their sound is as much inspired by the grit of Osees and Sonic Youth as it is by Thailand’s growing indie and DIY scene, led by artists and labels pushing boundaries in Bangkok and Chiang Mai.
Chiang Mai itself has become a hub for independent and alternative music, with a thriving underground culture fueled by local artists, collectives, and indie labels carving out space for original music. Terror Terror is part of this movement—melding global influences with the sounds and perspectives of Northern Thailand.
You listen to the track here: [Bandcamp, Spotify]
Press materials & high-res images: [Press Kit]
