Barely a year out of high school and Canberra alt-rock four-piece Teen Jesus And The Jean Teasers have already built a cult following.
The past year alone has seen these four ladies rise to the top of the pack with a string of single releases and an exultant showcase at BIGSOUND in Brisbane.
“It's honestly been so crazy, we all pinch each other every day because we can't believe it's real. As soon as we find out someone listens to our music we're like, 'are you sure? Really?',” bassist Jaida Stephenson laughs.
“BIGSOUND was the best week of all of our lives; we had the best time and the turnout at all the gigs we played was better than we ever expected. They were all really full and everyone loved it, we honestly went away with the biggest smiles. Then we had very big post-BIGSOUND depression.”
Teen Jesus And The Jean Teasers are currently riding the airwaves with the single 'See You In A Bit (I Still Care)' about the dynamics of love-hate relationships. “Whenever we write a song it's always about lots of stories pushed into one, more like a feeling,” Jaida explains.
“'See You In A Bit' is about someone going away and you still caring about them while they're away. Hence, 'see you in a bit, I still care' – pretending you don't care about someone when you really do.”
Establishing a sound that channels '90s alternative rock and grunge, the new music from Teen Jesus And The Jean Teasers is a far cry from what they were making when they started the band. “When we started the band back in 2015, all of our music was very twinkly, pop, synthier stuff, which isn't what we made the band to be,” Jaida says.
“As we've been jamming a bit more, we've started to realise our own sound and have started making music that we want to make; making music that we like and want to listen to and share with the world, which is a really nice feeling.
“You want to give music to everyone that you in your heart love and that you think is the best. These two new singles, we've been playing them for months and we're not sick of them yet. We still love them so much and we're really happy that the people listening to them love the songs too.”
Teen Jesus And The Jean Teasers top off their year with a run of festival dates, including Falls Festival, before heading into the studio early next year to begin work on their next release. “Over the next few months, it's going to be festivals until the end of the year, we are jam-packed honestly,” Jaida says.
“2019 has been a very big roller coaster and we're coming to the end of it but we're booked into the studio early 2020, so you'll be hearing lots of stuff from us early 2020, maybe around autumn next year.
“We're super excited – what we've got coming is something we've wanted to release for a while. Definitely a single, and an EP or an album is brewing, not sure which one we're doing yet.”
2019/2020 Falls Festival Dates
28-31 Dec - Lorne (VIC)29-31 Dec - Marion Bay (TAS)
31 Dec & 1-2 Jan - Byron Bay
4-5 Jan - Fremantle
