Teen Angst releases a nostalgic collection of tunes, wrapped in synth swirls and drawing influence from the likes of Best Coast.
Channeling the domesticity of everyday life, Teen Angst brings lo-fi nostalgic tunes inundated with references to early Simpsons episodes, gardening, and doing chores around the house. Self-proclaimed progenitors of the ‘antisocial-pop’ genre, the Perth four-piece draw influence from the likes of Best Coast, Dear Nora and Buffy The Vampire Slayer. On the vocals, guitar and synth, Michelle Yeong and Connor Patmore hold the fort, alongside Kieran Conaghan on bass and Fraser Patmore on drums.
Teen Angst has been gearing up to release their much-anticipated debut full-length Barn Sour. Named after a term used to describe a horse that refuses to leave its comfortable home surroundings, Barn Sour features ten tracks that explore the feelings of being locked inside your home, willingly or not, a relatable sentiment in this current era. On their debut album, engineered by Broderick Madden-Scott (Stella Donnelly, Noah Dillon, Jack Davies) and mixed by Rhein Tan (Gap Year’s ‘Flat Out’) the band explores a variety of topics including, doom-scrolling on Twitter, watering the garden, eating leftovers, and moving out of your parents’ home.
Diving into the album, first up is Leaving home which comes in with a strong bouncy bass line that pivots through the catchy confessional lyrics about moving into a new place and a new state of mind. The drums affectionately punch your eardrums as the electric guitar stutters.
Water the Garden comes in next with a static tough-picking synth sound that introduces the song before the authentic and honest-sounding vocals between both Michelle and Connor bounce off each other. The electric melodic riffs, ascend up and down and dance around the middle, creating a calm and warm atmosphere that is wedged in a peaceful afternoon.
Leftovers is the third track in the collection of beauties by Teen Angst and has a melancholic, gloomy feel to it through its slower-paced, softer sounds. The vocals are more delicate and dispirited, blistering next along with the stabs of the deep, dark and eerie electric guitar sounds. For a track named Birthdays, it doesn’t sound like a party as sadness swirls within Michelle’s vocals again. This track’s palette is dripping with crispy acoustic guitar rawness, as you can hear moments of slides along its neck. Home in a minute contrasts the previous track as it buzzes with life and vibrancy through the electric, synth swirls, and upbeat snare crashes that all bend and soar together.
Kissless Virgin is an awakening avalanche of funky bass bounces and neon-lit electric guitar. Connor’s melodic inflections and outcries of lyrical depth, reminisce the vocal tones of The National. The 7th song on the, Asleep is an interesting grab for listeners as it dips in and out of crazy joy that’s morphed through the plunks of the surfy tones of the bass and the ‘bah bahs’ of vocals that express a shade of relaxation.
Next up on the album is Lizard Queen which cranks a fuzzy and amplified simplistic yet potent electric riff as well as a swirly panoramic cascade of sound that’s wrapped up in fizzes of futility expressed vocally. As the second last track of the collection of bangers, Stan continues to carry the nostalgic and reminiscing gloomy soundscape that the whole album has projected with Mitchelle’s moan-tone vocals and startling glow of electric buzz. As the last track, Barn Sour ties the whole album together with its unleashing of uneasy emotions.
Emerging with introspective and existentialism, Mitchelle restlessly ignites ecstatic yet authentic sounds of sadness, avoiding dressing it up with metaphors and over-saturated sounds. The end of the track ends with a monologue of hope and expression that sound like 60s beat poetry and country-western twang.
The debut full-length follows on from a string of single releases and an EP including Not So Vitriolic (2019) and Let/Cheeseburger (2020). After supporting Bleeding Knees Club on the W.A. leg of their tour and playing shows with Wavves, The Beths, Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever, and The Chats, the band plan to celebrate the release of their debut album on January 27 at Mojos Bar.
Check out their full killer album Barn Sour, below!
