Teenage Joans: Keeping Up With the Joanses
Rocking broken hearts, scraped knees and bloody teeth through their new single ‘My Heart’s Dead!’, Adelaide’s pop punkers Teenage Joans catch up with The Note to chat new music, DIY-ing it, insane support slots and Harvest Rock.
Interview Millah Hansberry // Photo supplied
Congratulations on your latest single ‘My Heart’s Dead!’. This track leans into the electropop punk sounds of the early 2000s, with a modern twist. What inspired this sonic move?
To be honest, we think you’d be surprised with what we can do sonically – we haven’t had a chance to really show every single side of Teenage Joans yet, but we like to believe we are an incredibly versatile band. We’re just creating what we want to and letting the songs sit in the world where they do!
This track feels like a dramatic “I’ll never fall in love again” proclamation aimed at a crush, but delivered with a cheeky “will you love me?” undertone. How did that concept come about in the writing room?
We really wanted that hook line, something that was easy to catch on to, so people could pick it up live and sing along, so we instantly grabbed that ‘my heart’s dead / can you make it beat again?’ line and worked off of that! The more you listen to us, the more you realise a lot of our music is quite cynical yet hopeful about love. It’s so human to care so deeply, yet at the same time feel hopeless about love.
Your previous single ‘Sweet And Slow’ explored love and obsession from a different angle. How do you find the tracks intercept thematically, and what drew you to writing them?
I don’t know if they completely intercept, but it’s interesting to see the different angles in different points in time. ‘Sweet And Slow’ was almost a naive take on falling for someone, a do whatever it takes crush song. Whereas ‘My Heart’s Dead! has already accepted defeat, and loosely throwing it out there – no biggie, but can you revive my heart? Tahlia has been in a really good long-term relationship for years, so we often draw from my (Cahli) love life as it’s a constant mess. Haha. I don’t know where I stand anymore so I write to figure it out.
The release of ‘My Heart’s Dead!’ was fit with a DIY music video, made with the help of your mates. What was the ‘making of’ process like?
It was super chill to be honest! We honestly got tired of the rigmarole of making a music video with a team. We’ve never had an easy experience, so we said screw it, let’s gather up as many cameras as we can find and do it ourselves! The experience was way more fun, but a lot more work, so it’ll be interesting to see if we continue with the DIY videos in the future.
It’s been a while since The Note have checked in with TJ’s! Since our last chat, you’ve dropped the two singles, hit the road with PUP and Slowly Slowly and been announced on Harvest Rock. Does Teenage Joans have an off button?
Our off button is covered in dust – we’ll never use it! We’re ride or die for this band, it’s our dream so we’re doing whatever it takes and we love it!
READ MORE: The Rions Are Now A Real Band
What has it been like being on the road with Canadian punk outfit PUP, and now with Aussie pop punk quartet, Slowly Slowly?
Super fun! We really missed touring. The start of this year was the longest time we’ve ever had off, and we went a bit stir crazy to be honest – we’re a live band before anything else, we are MADE for the stage, so it makes sense for us to be on it!
Jumping back to Adelaide in October, you’re gracing the Harvest Rock stage for the first time. How does it feel to be playing such a huge hometown festival?
We’re so stoked! It’s going to be so much fun. We miss playing festivals, we wish we could play more to be honest. Again, we’re a live band, bringing nothing but true rock and roll spirit to our live sets. Festivals are huge and loud; exactly how our band was meant to be. We’re so keen to see The War On Drugs, it’s really going to be a ‘girl who’s going to be okay’ moment watching them. Plus, M.I.A, Genisis Owusu, so many icons on this lineup!
To celebrate ‘My Heart’s Dead!’, you’ve joined forces with SA punk icons TOWNS to launch your single with an Australian tour. What’s on the travel playlist when you’re on tour?
Our tour playlist is a bit chaotic to be honest – our pump-up song is ‘Superbass’ by Nicki Minaj, into some deeply depressing ‘Cool About It’ by Boygenius, then something stupid like ‘Threw It On The Ground’ by The Lonely Island. We get a bit silly on tour if you can’t tell.
You’re landing at the Ed Castle for your Adelaide launch on October 31. What can we expect from this show?
We’re soooo excited! Halloween is TJ’s biggest time of the year – it’s our Christmas. Expect it to be decorated to the nines, and costumes are highly encouraged!
Should we brace ourselves for some killer costumes from you two?
ABSOLUTELY! We can’t give away too much yet…
After these two punchy-pop singles, can we expect anything on the new music front?
Anything fun in the works? We’re currently working on our second album – it’s taking us a moment, but we truly believe in taking the time to create something authentic and timeless rather than stay on trend and release a million songs a year. We’re writing some really great stuff at the moment, it’s really going to be worth the wait. You’re gonna want to be on the TJ train next year!
Catch Teenage Joans at Ed Castle on October 31 with TOWNS and Bukowski. Tickets on sale now via moshtix.com.au.
