Teenage Halloween | Teenage Halloween
Dillon
“Not fitting in”, living outside of any particular definition, feeling unique or, depending on your perspective, isolated. These feelings are some of the most unifying shared experiences each of us has shambling through this world. Yet all too often they are also the root of our alienation from one another. Good music, or any form of artistic expression, I think, translates a specific experience into a shared feeling for an audience, making the truth of just how connected we all are despite outward appearances undeniable. Great music can make that translation visceral and those shared feelings into something movingly real regardless of how different the artist’s personal experience is to their audience. By that measure and many more, Teenage Halloween’s self-titled debut on Don Giovanni records, is an absolute fucking triumph.
This record explodes into high-gear from the opening notes of the lead track and single “Stationary” (which we’ve previously written a little about). The backing arrangement on this track has this thoroughly infectious bass-line and screaming lead guitar. These relent at just the right moments to highlight lead singer Luk Henderiks’ earnestly raspy straining vocals and impassioned cries at the listener. While I’m on the subject this whole album features some just incredible lyrics, the moment as the backing instrumentation gets quiet on “Stationary” I’ve always found super moving, “Trying to love you, but these things won’t ever change//I’m not the boy that you thought I’m cut out to be.”
This album and this band clearly have a lot to say and they aren’t afraid to say it outright and with pride and joy. There’s a lot throughout the album on themes of alienation, gender dysphoria, struggling with sexual identity, and frustration with the ways in which some folks just carry hate in their hearts or can’t be bothered to care about anything it seems. Yet, Luk’s pointed and gritty lyricism make a joyful stand for their identity and aren’t afraid to take to task those who refuse to see them for the amazing person they are. The track “Holes”, another single off the album, deals with the self-deprecation and impulse to bury your identity just to survive. Here Luk’s excellent vocal work isn’t alone, as they're backed in some awesomely punky harmony by Tricia Marshall. Beyond vocal harmonies, the band’s cohesive sound really shines throughout the whole album. I just happen to find the transition into my personal favorite track “SMH City” a blazing punky anthem which is paced perfectly to be a monster in a live set, to be an especially well tuned use of Teenage Halloween’s myriad backing instrumentation.
Overall, the track-to-track pacing on this album is super strong, I’ve mentioned how Teenage Halloween seems to have a natural sense about when to let a song get quiet, when it should speed up, slow down, or get loud. This ability extends outside of the individual songs. The whole album is tightly and thoughtfully put together. From the aforementioned punky-anthems like “Holes” and “SMH City” to the slower, poppier moments on tracks like “Sweat”, “Clarity”, and “Racehorse”, and the singularly impressive slow build to blazing solo on the send off track “Turn Right, Goes Straight” all complement one another to create a super enjoyable end-to-end listening experience. I honestly don’t think this album has a “skippable” track on it.
It’s frankly hard to call Teenage Halloween a punk band or an emo band or a whatever band, they don’t really fit into any of those molds. And this self-titled debut has planted a flag with a statement of individual identity both in the sense of Luk’s lyrics regarding their gender identity and the band’s overall sound. This is Teenage Halloween, this is who we are, love us, accept us, or get the fuck out of our faces. And I for one, really fucking love them and you should too.
Thanks y’all this shit rips!
Go Buy It:
https://www.dongiovannirecords.com/products/671449-teenage-halloween-teenage-halloween
Release Date:
September 18, 2020
Track Listing
Stationary (2:37)
Holes (1:38)
Drown (1:42)
SMH City (1:47)
Sweat (2:36)
Clarity (2:07)
Summer Money (2:00)
Racehorse (3:56)
Figwit (2:54)
Turn Right, Goes Straight (2:07)
Credits:
Luk Henderiks - guitar / vocals / lyrics / composition
Eli Frank - lead guitar / composition / production
Tricia Marshall- bass / vocals / keys
Brandon Hakim - saxophone
Peter Gargano- drums
Jane Lai - piano
Evan Bernard- tambourine / guitar
Recorded and mixed by Evan Bernard at Big Mama's Recording in Philadelphia PA
mastered by Ryan Schwabe in Philadelphia PA
album cover by Jordan Hudkins (Rozwell Kid)
album layout by Ilana Hope Art
all songs composed and written by Teenage Halloween