This Parisian trio really are filthy. From clipped beat-driven opener Homecoming onwards, Reality Check is ridden with lewd lyrics and sordid sounds delivered in charming broken English and inspired by an impressive range of influences from Slayer, Nirvana, Weezer
and Dillinger Escape Plan to M83, Jacques Lu Cont, Madonna and Beverly Hills 90210.
This striking first track sets The Teenagers‘ impish intentions out perfectly as it paints a humorous picture of an adolescent holiday fling. Like a synth-tinged, mischievous take on Grease’s Summer Nights, the male vocal boasts about “fu*king American c*nt” while the naïve cheerleader in question swoons over her English romance. The band then turn their attentions to seducing someone new as breathy electro pop offering French Kiss finds them in a girl’s bedroom watching Dirty Dancing and offering a “French kiss on your soft lips”.
But this impeccably dressed, easy on the eye bunch are not just here to brag about past conquests and have their wicked way with the ladies; they mix alcohol-soaked anecdotes that would make your elders blush with witty cultural references, tell tales of violence on the streets of their hometown, address everyday teenage issues and bare their souls post-break-up. During string-tinged breezy ballad Wheel Of Fortune, for example, they ask what their lives would be like if they’d been popular at school and whether they would dance in the same way if they’d never seen Michael Jackson, Sunset Beach – their account of being dumped after a one night stand – finds them seething the refrain “this fu*king bitch deserves to die”, End Of The Road is a Cure-esque epic about the end of a love affair and Fuck Nicole was written about a Myspace encounter in the midst of a late night vodka session.
The subject matter on display throughout Reality Check is clever, sexy, romantic and utterly of its time, as is the music which soars and simmers, combining breezy harmonies with blissful, instantly catchy melodies, scratchy riffs and pulsing basslines. It is a glorious triumph of a debut, crammed full of youthful oomph and oodles of ideas and originality that utterly justifies the hype about this band. The Teenagers‘ lusty effort also makes many of their British counterparts sound lifeless and stale, but then we shouldn’t really be so surprised – French boys have always been more exciting…
Categories ,Music French Parisian Vocal Band Electro Pop
Similar Posts:
- THE FUTURE IS FRANKMUSIK
- Plastiscines: An Interview
- I Was A Cub Scout
- Le Corps Mince De Francoise
- Plastiscines – Camden, Barfly – A Review