Teenage Halloween has announced their brand new sophomore studio album Till You Return due out on October 20 via Don Giovanni. The band, fronted by non-binary guitarist / songwriter Luk Henderiks, unveil their one-two punch double A-side single “Supertrans / Takeaway” alongside an official video. Announcing their return with reckless abandon, Henderiks’ voice comes in with an immediate urgency about gender identity and perception, at first backed by a lone distorted guitar, but quickly followed with the intense melodic and driving fullness that anyone that has seen the band live has come to expect. The double-single is streaming everywhere now.
Stand by your friends that are hurting. That’s what Teenage Halloween do through soaring arrangements of melodic angst, wracked vocals that insist “I love you so much I would die for you,” and passion-packed two-minute dispatches tackling topics from gender euphoria, to state abuses, and an eternal quest for mental well-being. The results are potent punk vistas that document young queer life at the edge of America.
“Supertrans / Takeaway” is accompanied by a tripped-out night terror visual directed by band buddy Jordan Serrano of CALICUZNS. In reference to the singles’ lyrics, Luk battles some of their deepest anxieties brought to life in the demonic form of their bandmates.
At the heart of vocalist and guitarist Luk Henderiks’ lyrics is an urgent longing for community. Despite their often striking personal vulnerability, these songs reach out to the wider world, striving to hold themselves and those around them accountable for their actions and to make space for those that need to be heard. In 2020, the band released their self-titled debut album via storied Garden State label Don Giovanni and swiftly won over a host of tastemakers. BrooklynVegan placed it at #10 on their Best New Punk Albums Of 2020, while Stereogum hailed them on their 40 Best New Bands Of 2020 list. American Songwriter, Paste, and KEXP brought further kind words to the table.
Having been unable to tour the album on its release in pre-vaccine times, the band hit the road with abandon in late 2021 and beyond, notching nearly 150 shows on their belts; including their first national US tour, an invitation to showcase at SXSW, and dates with Algernon Cadwallader, Chris Farren, Good Riddance, Say Anything and many more. These shows invariably deliver a calling card of unrelenting energy, wry wit, and warmth.
In February 2023, the group headed into Headroom Studios in Philadelphia, PA, under the guiding hand of producer Joe Reinhart (Hop Along, Beach Bunny, Joyce Manor), and tracked the 13 dispatches on isolation, uncertainty, and hope for better days, that make up Till You Return. This second full-length outing finds the band, which operated as a ‘rotating cast’ in it’s early years, now firmly entrenched as an essential four-piece comprised of Henderiks alongside Eli Frank (guitar, vocals), Tricia Marshall (bass, vocals) and Peter Gargano (drums). The quartet maintains the vital energy of their previous incarnations but brings an even more focused punch to the arrangements that leaves greater room for Henderiks’ lyrics. Fans of the band will also have noticed the creative assent of Marshall who takes the vocal lead on multiple songs that have become defining features of the band’s recent live shows and which bring a fresh new viewpoint to the band’s ongoing sonic mission for a more equal and just world.
PRE-ORDER TILL YOU RETURN
We're thrilled to announce a new album from Kym Register + Meltdown Rodeo titled Meltdown Rodeo out August 18.
Kym Register + Meltdown Rodeo (formerly Loamlands) is a transgressive and distorted country music outfit based in North Carolina that places queer storytelling at the forefront. Their music intimately grapples with identity, retribution, reconciliation and queer existence in both modern-day and historical (inclusive of mostly all) southern culture.
Meltdown Rodeo is available for pre-order now HERE.
The album features the song "Blue," a gutsy call-out that challenges the conditions that still allows Joni Mitchell amnesty, even after she traded her counterculture folk for jive turkey racism.
As Kym Register explains:
Blue is sort of a love song about misconception / desire / disappointment and loss driven by some seriously upsetting revelations during the time of falling - for a Joni Mitchell record. I hadn’t listened to Joni much in my life but had been gently pushed by friends to explore her record, Blue. As I did, I fell in love with the way she plays with vocal timing, her story telling and her meandering guitar - everything music and poignant and magical about her music. I started researching her life and music because I was so excited to delve into her process and her catalog - trying to learn from folks that immersed themselves in music who’ve made an impact on so many mentors of mine.
That’s when I learned about the Blackface character she often portrayed at parties and on stage and on the cover of a few albums she made. It was like uncovering dark secrets from a lovers past. The more I researched Joni, the more arrogant and unreflective I found her to be. I started feeling it in my body like I’d been deceived by friends and by everyone who recommended her. So - I started having conversations with folks so we could be In discussion about the impact of Whiteness and unaccountability - especially when it comes to our relationships people that are in such close proximity with fame or success.
I became so concerned about the way folks seem to be ok with letting elders stay unaccountable / get away with harm because of their age or because it feels so uncomfortable to discuss Whiteness. There’s always a chance for accountability - It is so extremely problematic that people keep supporting her as she continues to deny any wrongdoing for the appropriation and exploitation of Blackness in her work. While Joni is alive she should be honest with herself and everyone else about the blatant racism she embodies intertwined with her art and work.
This isn’t to shame her but to call her in - bc accountability is healing not just for us individually but for our collective communities. Older folks do not get a pass - famous folks do not get a pass - we do not get a pass.
Meltdown Rodeo will be released on August 18, 2023 and is available for pre-order now HERE.
