by Kris Handel (@khandel84)
When Teenanger came about in Canada in the late ‘00s the band was a tight and fast paced punk band that thrashed around and reveled in reverb drenched grime and wit that was fresh and full of enthusiasm. A decade late on the sixth full length, Good Time, there isn’t so much thrashing around, yet the incisive commentary still remains, but with a more restrained and pronounced new-wave bounce and angst to it, carrying on from 2017’s Teenager. There are still moments of knotty frustration but instead of searing “in the red” guitar bombardment there will be wheezing and sometimes sprightly keyboard and snakily lithe guitar work as the foundation for the still acerbic lyrics. This is not to say that any of the enthusiasm or charming wit has diminished, it is just presented in a bit of a more refined approach that still cuts deeply.
“Trillium Song” is an extremely catchy bit of nervous power-pop with Jon Schouten’s wriggling guitar leads coming to the fore almost instantly, while Chris Swimming’s nasal assertions combine nicely with Mellissa Ball’s melodic sensibilities. Swimming’s vocals have the appropriate level of slightly removed snarkiness and disgust that makes an impact and creates a unique tension with the rolling and somewhat danceable backing. “Straight to Computer” has a bit of a Wire-esque post-punk bite to its musings on the dependance and performative allure of the computer that seems to drive much of the social system of the past decade. Here Swimming and company tackle the impulsiveness people have when easy access to a piece of electronic machinery allows for a bit of distance from consequences of actions and the negative impacts it has on how the world works and how people treat and communicate with each other. “Good Time” is a slow and deep groove of a song that relies on blooping keyboard and a little bit of a Gang of Four inflected rhythm section as the drum work rolls and snaps behind diving bass lines that pop and weave. Swimming’s disaffection here lends a weariness to the party scene that may have held more of an appeal in past days, but now tends to just be a drag or not as easy to bounce back from.
Good Time is a record that shows all of what Teenanger have learned from the past decade and continues to explore a bit of a newer direction from the earlier days of the band. The urgency and wise cracking are still evident, but there is more time to stretch out and explore musical territories and influences on a greater scale. The melodies have room to fully explore themselves here and the band has a true connection in all aspects that lead to a blissful groove that ties the record together extremely well. Maturation is an inevitability and Teenanger’s new impetus serves them extremely well, the added bit of nous and experience has added quite well to groups already wonderful aesthetic which is in full force on this record.