Same(ish) Interview, One Year Apart: Teenage Dads
ENTERTAINMENT | STYLE
Written by Nabeelah Khan (she/her) | @nabeelahkhann | Contributing Writer
A year after my colleague interviewed Melbourne-based band Teenage Dads, they’ve rapidly climbed the ranks of the indie-pop scene, recently winning the prestigious ARIA Music Award for Breakthrough Artist with their EP “Midnight Driving”. I caught up with the band to chat about their journey, musical inspirations, the advice they’d give their younger selves, and even their weapon of choice in a zombie apocalypse.
Teenage Dads aren’t teenagers or dads, but they may just be your next favourite indie pop-rock discovery. The Melbourne-based band is made up of Jordan Finlay (vocals, guitar), Connor McLaughlin (guitar), Vincent Kinna (drums), and Angus Christie (bass).
I open my laptop in cloudy Auckland and transport to sunny Melbourne, courtesy of Zoom. Vinnie and Angus appear on my screen, representing half of the dynamic quartet that is Teenage Dads. Vinnie sweeps his sun-bleached locks back, channelling a Bondi surfer. Angus accessorizes with jewellery, wearing colourful bracelets, a dangling earring on one ear, and a small hoop on the other. They join the call from their homes, settling back into life in Melbourne after returning from the final leg of their whirlwind US tour.
With the band’s sound drawing influences from The Strokes and Phoenix, mixed with shades of 80’s synth-pop hits, Teenage Dads are poised to be on your 2024 Spotify wrapped after reading this interview. Fresh off a successful tour across the US and Europe with Lime Cordiale, the band is now gearing up for their “Majordomo Tour” across Australia and Aotearoa.
Vinnie and Angus recall winning the ARIA award as a pleasant yet unexpected surprise. "Definitely did not think about winning an award like that or just being nominated. It was pretty special," Vinnie says. Angus mentions that the band doesn’t think about winning awards when doing their day-to-day work as musicians, so being nominated marked a significant milestone in their music career, establishing themselves within the industry. The unique shape and potential danger of the ARIA trophy also stood out. Angus recalls that another artist had accidentally pierced their laptop by dropping the award on it. I ask for proof, and Angus crosses his lounge to lift the trophy from its shelf. Through my screen, he holds up a tall, sharp, triangular pyramid—an ironic match to their recent single titled “Weaponz.”
After their ARIA award win in November 2023, the band kicked off the new year with a tour across the US and Canada in March. While the tour was filled with excitement and success, it also came with its share of cold moments. The band wasn’t swept up in the whirlwind of their tour—they were nearly swept away by a blizzard. "Usually, people get sick on tour most times. But this one was particularly hard, I feel, because we were in sub-zero temperatures for the first time in a long time, probably for two straight weeks or more," Vinnie says. En route to a show in Boulder, Utah, they faced a storm that almost derailed their plans. “We were about seven hours away from that town or city and got caught in a blizzard,” Vinnie recalls. “The freeway was closed, and we had to stay the night in this tiny town.” Stranded with the freeway closed, the band anxiously waited, unsure if they’d make it to the show. By a stroke of luck, the road reopened just 20 minutes before they would have had to cancel, allowing them to make it to the performance just in time.
Amidst these challenges, Angus fondly recalls one of the highlights of their time in the States—a night out in New York that turned into a fun, absurd adventure with fellow musicians. “We went out in New York and just experienced the city with a bunch of other musicians,” he shares. “It was one of the silliest nights I can remember—everyone was doing these ridiculously over-the-top New York accents right there in the city.” Another standout memory from their tour was the unexpected turnout from fans in cities far from home, like performing to a sold-out crowd in Dublin. “We were pretty surprised by how many people showed up in places we’d never been before,” Angus reflects.
Angus and Vinnie point out that last year marked a significant milestone when they began earning from the band, giving them a sense that they were full-time musicians. “It's still just less than a year since we first, paid ourselves any sort of money from the band. Everything we've kind of ever earned has gone straight into the band again,” Vinnie explains. Although Teenage Dads first came together during their high school years, playing songs during their free period, they’ve only recently stepped into the role of full-time musicians. “But it’s been really interesting,” Angus shares. “It’s only recently that we’ve started to reach that full-time musician role. It’s at the point where there’s no other work on the side—that’s when it’ll fully set in.”
Vinnie reflects on the band's unexpected journey to full-time musicianship, describing it as a path they never saw coming. “It’s just been a long journey and one that we never thought we’d get to,” he admits. “You always hope, or think, ‘That’d be cool,’ but you don’t dwell on it too much. You just focus on the moment and keep yourselves hungry for more.”
Teenage Dad’s songwriting process is collaborative and ever-evolving. It often begins with lead singer Jordy (Jordan) bringing in nearly completed song ideas. “Jordy will show us a song—he’s our singer—and he’ll usually have a pretty finished piece, which builds a bank of music that way,” Vinnie explains. From there, the whole band works together to develop and refine the tracks further. Sometimes, the songs remain almost unchanged from their initial demos. “We do a lot of push-pull between the four of us, where the rest of us might have some input on where the song should go, or maybe the song doesn’t even change at all,” Vinnie says.
At other times, their songs are more collaborative, built from a single idea that everyone contributes to. Lately, they’ve been working with Byron Bay producer Chris Collins—whom Vinnie calls a “legend”—to help shape their songwriting. “We’ve also had plenty of songs that start from just one idea, and then we’ve all kind of thrown in ideas and created it that way more collaboratively,” Vinnie adds.
Teenage Dads draw from a wide range of musical influences, with each band member bringing their unique tastes to their sonic mix. Among their shared inspirations are iconic acts like Phoenix and Talking Heads. “I’ll say Phoenix, but they’re just constant. Yeah, they’re my favourite band. I’d also say maybe some Talking Heads,” Vinnie shares. Angus adds, “Talking Heads were kind of a reference when we went into the studio to do a lot of the recordings.”
The band’s influences aren’t limited to the classics; they also embrace more niche artists like Viagra Boys and Faye Webster. Angus finds himself captivated by the latest album from Viagra Boys. “Recently, I’ve been listening to a whole lot of Viagra Boys; their most recent album is really fun. There’s one song, ‘The Cognitive Trade-Off Hypothesis,’ that’s awesome,” he says. Vinnie also mentions that The Killers have made an impact on the band’s sound: “The Killers were cool.” Angus states, “You want an array across the band because you’re kind of finding new inspirations and new things all the time.” This diverse mix of influences helps shape their evolving sound, making it a true reflection of their collective and individual tastes.
Teenage Dads' first single of 2024, "Weaponz," is a punchy track that fuses indie rock with a splash of retro flair reminiscent of The Strokes. It kicks off with driving guitar riffs and a pulsating bassline, establishing an electrifying and fast-paced rhythm. The song exudes an almost chaotic energy, with dynamic shifts and catchy hooks that make it both unpredictable and unforgettable. The music video for the song is a playful whirlwind of chaos. Bathed in a fuzzy '80s glow, the video features surreal props and magical levitating instruments, creating an otherworldly atmosphere. The video captures the band performing in an empty auditorium, with an intensity that echoes The Killers' "Mr. Brightside" music video.
In a playful nod to the song title "Weaponz," I pose a hypothetical question to the band: What weapon would they choose to defend themselves in a zombie apocalypse? Angus responds with a surprising choice: "I would choose my heart." Vinnie took a more traditional approach, quipping, "Flamethrower, yeah, and a flamethrower?" before adding, "The Needler gun in Halo. Can I have a Kimbo? Can I have Needler and then gravity hammer?" The band members banter about who would survive the apocalypse given their chosen weapons. They even pull me into the debate to decide which team would come out on top.
Debate Magazine interviewed Teenage Dads a year ago, so in the spirit of Billie Eilish's "Vanity Fair One Year On" interview, I ask them two similar questions: I saw what they would say to their future selves, Vinnie jokes about asking his future self if a Seinfeld movie had finally been made: "Yeah, maybe I’d ask something like, is there a Seinfeld movie?” Angus grapples a bit with this question. He reflects on the oddity of asking for future advice: “I feel like it’s weird... in that all the useful information is when you go back in time. Like, yeah, you want to know what’s going to happen, but you don’t. When you think about it, it’s like, ‘Oh, if I had a time machine, I’d go tell my future self something.’ But no, they already know everything that’s going to happen.” He adds, “It has to be beneficial.”
When I ask what advice they would have given to themselves a year ago, Angus offers a humorous piece of advice to his past self. "So exactly, if it was exactly a year ago, we would be preparing to do our three-month tour, and I would tell myself, in Detroit, when the chef tells you that there aren’t peanuts in the food you’re about to eat, he’s lying. Don’t eat it.”
Commentaires