Teen Jesus And The Jean Teasers Are No Longer Insecure About Their Music

The debut album of Canberra rock quartet Teen Jesus And The Jean Teasers has been one of the most anticipated local indie releases of recent times.

The first taste, in the form of single 'Lights Out', doesn't disappoint. A riotous anthem about navigating the world of the hook-up scene, it showcases a slicker rock sound, call and response vocals and a banging breakdown.

"I like the line, 'let's say that this was just good, and you can love and leave me'," guitarist Scarlett McKahey shares.

"People say 'I'm gonna love you and leave you', that kind of thing. I remember so distinctly being 19, living in Canberra, just moving out of home, and then realising that I could make out with someone in a nightclub and then just go. Shoutout to the Canberra nightclub where Nave and I were on the prowl there for a while."

The band has always used their own experiences to shape their songwriting process, and that authenticity has struck a chord with their fans.



"There's no message that we're trying to get across with our music, which is really nice, because it means we're just honest," McKahey expands.

"Over the past few years we've changed so much. When we started the band, I was 14. Those years between leaving school and becoming an adult are very formative.

"So now it's less about what we want other people to perceive us as, and more that we don't care anymore.

"I really like the songs. We made them all together and we had such a good time and we're best friends and it's just so fun being able to play shows and write together as a job. It's insane.

"So if people don't like [the new album], that's okay, because I really do. It's a nice feeling. It shows a lot of growing up that I don't care so much anymore. We're less insecure now than ever."

In a coming of age, full circle twist, Teen Jesus And The Jean Teasers will be playing Groovin The Moo for the second time this April-May after going countless times as teenage punters. "We went religiously, we were obsessed with it. We would go every single year.

"2019 was the last one we played at, and my mum got kicked out. She snuck in and was dancing on a table, and the security came and got her, and she was like 'that's my daughter playing', and they said, 'we don't care, you don't have a pass. You have to leave.' But I got her a ticket this year, so maybe she won't get escorted out so quickly."



Festivals have provided some of the girls' lifetime highlights. "My favourite guitar riff is 'Heart In A Cage' by The Strokes. I've been trying to play that to speed for about, what, six years? And I just can't do it.

"Everything that Nick Valensi does is f...ing amazing. It's too much for me. I saw them at Splendour, The Strokes, and as soon as they walked out, I burst into tears. I was ugly crying, fully sobbing for the full hour and a half that they played. I was distressed."

Groovin The Moo 2023 Line-up

alt-J
Amy Shark
Ball Park Music
Barkaa
bbno$
The Chats
Choomba
Confidence Man
Denzel Curry
Eliza Rose
Fatboy Slim
Genesis Owusu
Laurel
Luude
Nothing But Thieves
Ocean Alley
Royel Otis
Skegss
Slayyyter
Slowly Slowly
Sophie May
Teen Jesus & The Jean Teasers
Teenage Dads
Teenage Joans
With hosts Lex & Pookie

Groovin The Moo 2023 Tour Dates

Fri 21 Apr - Adelaide Showground
Sat 22 Apr - Maitland Showground* final release tickets
Sun 23 Apr - Exhibition Park In Canberra* final release tickets
Sat 29 Apr - Prince of Wales Showgrounds (Bendigo)* final release tickets
Sun 30 Apr - Kawana Sports Western Precinct (Sunshine Coast)* sold out
Sat 6 May - Hay Park (Bunbury)* final release tickets