I don't even know what to say about The Teenagers. Maybe it's easier to describe them like this; think back to high school. You there? Good. Now think about everyone you ever had a crush on, everyone you ever dated, all the painful rejections, your first kiss, drunken parties, prom night, emotionial insecurities offset by vodka-fuelled antics, awkward sex (lots and lots of sex). It doesn't matter if half this stuff didn't happen to you, specifically, because listening to The Teenagers is like living it all over again. Sound fun? Maybe that's not the adjective you'd choose, but the The Teenagers' debut album, Reality Check, may be enough to change your mind.
Calling most bands "formulaic" would be meant as an insult, but in the case of The Teenagers, it's a compliment. The songs on Reality Check are so effortlessly catchy and addictive that every time a track ends, I find myself thinking the next one can't possibly top that, and then, invariably, it does. The instrumentation is simple enough; a few guitars, plenty of synths, drums. The lyrics are a different story, often consisting of biting sarcasm coupled with potentially offensive subject matter that veers between deadpan and (perhaps deceptively) heart-on-sleeve earnesty, all sung in occasionally French-accented English. Fuck Nicole, for example, about a teenage girl strung out on "aspirins and alcohol", was allegedly inspired by MySpace fan messages, while Homecoming is the catchiest song you'll ever hear with a chorus of "I fucked my American cunt". Add to that a sweetly stalker-ish ode to Scarlett Johansson (You don't believe in monogamy / I'm not jealous, Scarlett / Will you marry me?) and you've got one of the cleverest, catchiest, most surprisingly intelligent and heartfelt albums you'll dance to all year. And if you don't think so, they don't care, just by their t-shirts and talk about them everywhere.
The Teenagers - Homecoming (zShare)
The Teenagers - Starlett Johansson (zShare)
The Teenagers official site
Buy Reality Check: CD / iTunes
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