Teen Angst
... bring you 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.
Q&A (... with Michelle from Teen Angst)
Teen Angst are...?
... Michelle, Connor, Fraser and sometimes Kieran (he’s just had a baby so he’s MIA right now). We come from the isolated Wild West (also known as Perth) and we bring you fun, lo-fi tunes to hang out with. We like gardening and a dramatic game of tennis.
Who or what was your inspiration for “Leaving Home?”
“Leaving Home” was written pre-emptively about me moving out of my parents’ home in my mid twenties. With an ever-growing HECS debt, struggling to work part-time shifts and weary housing prices on the rise – it’s bewildering how anyone is able to move out and find their own place in their twenties.
How would you describe your creative process?
This is a hard one because my inspiration can come in many forms. A song idea can come to me as I’m watching an episode of Buffy The Vampire Slayer or over-watering a cactus. Once I have an idea, the lyrics do come pretty quickly for me, which is swiftly accompanied by a guitar melody.
At that moment, that’s when I would fire up garageband and record a demo to send off to the band. Shortly after, Connor will re-send the demo, now featuring his dreamy lead guitar riffs in the mix. And voilà, a Teen Angst song is birthed.
What do you prefer, the stage or the studio?
A bit from column A and a bit from column B. There’s nothing quite like performing in front of a live audience, we try to get the crowd as involved as possible – chatting to them in-between songs and advocating boot-scootin’ dancing.
But we do love a studio hang just as much – getting to lay down a hot new track is always a wild ride. To quote that classic Old El Paso ad, “porque no los dos?”
Perth’s indie music scene is...?
Like a warm hug. Everyone is so supportive of each other and just wants to see each other flourish.
What are your “All time Top 3 Songs,” right now, in this second?
Right this second I’d have to go with:
1. Pharmacist – Alvvays
2. Pop Star – Coco & Clair Clair
3. Take Me Home, Country Roads – John Denver
What are your plans for the near future?
For the very near future, we plan to release another single in August. Both this single and “Leaving Home” are part of our debut album titled “Barn Sour.”
So for later future plans, we hope to release our debut album before the end of the year. Keep your ears peeled at maximum setting for that one.
Photo credits: Alex Haygarth
