TEEN JESUS AND THE JEAN TEASERS release first collaborative single 'Salt' ft. The Grogans
From the debut album ‘I Love You’ - out 06 October
“the righteous fury blasts through” - The Guardian
“fast-rising grunge revivalists” - NME
“they’ve got what it takes to lead the next generation of Australian rock royalty” - Australian Guitar
“There are bright, punchy flavours of Elastica and Garbage, along with a sizeable amount of Riot Grrrl DNA” - Classic Rock
Photo credit @sheisaphrodite
Rapidly-rising punk rock stars TEEN JESUS AND THE JEAN TEASERS have shared their first collaborative single and video ‘Salt’ ft. The Grogans, a punk-power ballad that tugs at broken heartstrings of realising something isn’t what you wished it would be. ‘Salt’. ft. The Grogans is taken from Teen Jesus and the Jean Teasers’ forthcoming debut album ‘I Love You’ (out 06 October via Domestic La La) which also features the “absolutely ace” (Kerrang!) ‘I Used To Be Fun’, raw and vulnerable ‘Never Saw It Coming’ and “ripping” (The AU Review) ‘Lights Out’, and sees the band step into a new sonic territory to create an expansive debut well beyond their years. ‘Salt’ ft. The Grogans is out everywhere now.
Written over the span of three years, ‘Salt’ ft. The Grogans - which arrives with a video directed, filmed and edited by Teen Jesus’ drummer Neve Van Boxsel - is a classic heartbreak song about being blinded by your own feelings, the clarity that comes with time, and the exhaustion of constantly being disappointed. It’s laden with harmonies that shows off the vocal chops of Anna Ryan and The Grogans’ Quin Grunden, their voices balancing and bouncing off each other to create a melancholic build up that sweeps you away. The two bands first met on the GUTS tour across lutruwita/Tasmania in late 2022 and bonded over beards (you read that correctly, full story here). It's the first time Teen Jesus and the Jean Teasers have collaborated with another band on a song, for them The Grogans were the spark that made the it what it is.
Vocalist Anna Ryan shares, “During the three years we wrote this the lyrics changed so much, but I think what really pulled it all together was when we decided to have The Grogans join us on the track. It definitely shifted the energy from something so sad to something so beautiful and special.” The Grogans add, “Being a part of 'Salt' was pretty special. It was something super different for us and it is an incredible song to have worked on. This was such a beautiful way for us to learn a lot about the Teen Jesus crew as well as ourselves. We felt that our role in this track was to add a sense of support for each other, musically and outside of the studio. The whole process was healing in a way. This track isn’t about our personal experience yet we find relevance in our own lives, we just hope we added something special. We are grateful to be let in and trusted with such a lovely song.“
The strengths of the four members of Teen Jesus and the Jean Teasers shine through across the 12 tracks on ‘I Love You’; four distinct personalities with a core dynamic based on a shared love for each other’s work ethic and talent, making the road to their debut album not just exciting, but intriguing. Produced by Oscar Dawson, they step into new sonic territory on their debut album - where their previous releases smacked bang into your eardrums, they toy with softness and ease across the album seen on bubblegum love songs with an underside like ‘I Love You’, ‘Salt’ (ft. The Grogans) and the vibe-setting ‘Toe Bone’, while still staying true to their punk rock roots (‘I Don’t Want It’, ‘Lights Out’, ‘Treat Me Better’). ‘I Love You’ showcases the breadth of Teen Jesus and the Jean Teasers’ craft - never to be pigeonholed, and definitely never underestimated. The album’s first cut ‘Lights Out’ - a hard-hitting anthem all about claiming your sexuality and confidence - is in full rotation on triple j with love from NME, Music Feeds, Kerrang! Radio, Classic Rock, BBC Radio 1 Future Artists and Happy among others and a slew of covers and playlist additions across Spotify and Apple.
Formed during high school in their hometown of Canberra in 2019, TEEN JESUS AND THE JEAN TEASERS - Anna Ryan (they/them; vocals/guitar), Scarlett McKahey (she/her; guitar/vocals), Jaida Stephenson (she/her; bass) and Neve van Boxsel (she/her; drums) - channel Riot Grrrl-era energy with a 2023 spin and are the most natural, confident and damn likeable punk-rockers you’ll meet. Their AIR Award-winning debut EP ‘Pretty Good For A Girl Band’ (Best Independent Punk Album or EP; 2022) features ‘Girl Sports’ which hit #55 on this year's triple j Hottest 100 and saw praise from The Guardian, triple j, frankie, The AU Review, Music Feeds, The Music and Kill Your Stereo, with ‘AHHHH!’ taking the #117 spot on the Hottest 200 countdown last year. Now based across Dharawal Country/Wollongong, Ngunnawal/Canberra, and Naarm/Melbourne, the band have graduated into an astute group of early twenty-somethings – just as concerned about issues facing today’s women, non-binary people and young people everywhere as they are with their loud and completely cool punk rock sound.
Teen Jesus and the Jean Teasers are renowned for their high-energy live shows that not even (multiple) broken feet can get in the way of. They’re taking ‘I Love You’ on the road in Australia this Oct/Nov with special guests Logan and Empty Threats, and concurrently supporting DMAs on 11 dates throughout Sept/Oct. They will close out the year opening for Foo Fighters in Naarm/Melbourne, which will also serve as Scarlett McKahey’s last live show with the band (details here) - a truly fitting final live show for one of Australia’s most promising guitarists. Tickets to all shows are on sale now.
Connect with Teen Jesus and the Jean Teasers:
‘I Love You’ Track listing:
Treat Me Better
Backseat Driver
I Love You
Your House My House
Cayenne Pepper
Toe Bone
Kissy Kissy
