Unsigned Sunday: Heathers – ‘Teenage Clothes’
Our Unsigned Sunday feature comes from the sunny West Coast of America, but far from shining bronze bodies and glinting chrome Cadillacs, we have a glimpse of postmodern America, doused in dulled greys and glowing with sardonic nonchalance.
Heathers and Teenage Clothes paint a guitar-pop picture of melancholy.
Heathers, made up of Michael Francis, Thom Lucero and Michael Wegener, are a trio of, as the band say, “guitar pop miserablists”, lending their riffing style to a moody and existentialist ethos which juxtaposes as brilliantly as if they were the children of a Smashing Pumpkins/The Drums orgy.
Whereby the speed and rhythm of the latter lend an ultimately fruitless frivolity to the former. Maintaining a thoughtfulness and truthful meaning whilst still assuring the shuffling of dancing shoes.
Teenage Clothes, their debut 7″, is a touch punkier than their most recent release, Fear, which has a few more layers of affected fuzz, colouring the American dream with a touch more haze.
Taking inspiration from early-Wedding Present, Teenage Clothes is the perfect product of a fast-paced, melodic, yet melancholy sound.
As Francis’ vocals threaten to wheeze and break with passion over fuzzy, quickened guitars, the band’s tone is sound in its conception—distortion, fun, yet heart-wrenching—as all teenage love should be.
