Photography by Neal Zeleznak.
It’s been three years since we’ve last heard from TEEN, the Brooklyn NYC indie trio of sisters Kristina “Teeny,” Lizzie, and Kathrine Liberson. Their last record Love Yes was the most audacious record of their discography. A new wave worshiping, ode to the ups and downs of nightlife full of synths and glossy production, it’s a record of pure fun.
Now here we are with Good Fruit, the band’s fourth record which came out on March 1st via Carpark Records. Good Fruit is a more serious affair—the mirror’s image to Love Yes. More introvert than extrovert, Good Fruit is a record about loss and reflection, self-realization, and ending relationships. Despite the heavier subject matter, the record is still as synth heavy and slick as it’s predecessor. Teen have made thirteen stops on their current U.S. tour (more by the time you read this) mainly hitting the southern parts of the U.S. and most notably making an appearance at SXSW. We caught TEEN debuting tracks from their latest album Good Fruit at Chicago’s Hideout Inn, where the album’s tracks translated beautifully live.
Before we start talking about TEEN, I’d be remiss if we didn’t mention Chicago artist Akenya who opened the show. Akenya’s set was killer and featured material that will be on her upcoming record such as the single “Decay”. Backed by an incredible rhythm section, Akenya led the three-piece band on keys and vocals. The whole set had me incredibly hyped for her new material and thoroughly impressed by what a dynamic singer and performer she is. If you’re not familiar with her and are a big fan of neo-soul and R&B, especially the current wave of artists in the genre, check her out and definitely make an effort to see her live.
TEEN coursed through an 11-track set, sticking mainly to selections from Good Fruit for the duration of the show. The three exceptions being Love Yes cuts “Animal” and “Free Time” and their closer “Rose 4 U” from 2014’s The Way and The Color. The only two tracks from ‘Fruit they didn’t play were “Popular Taste” and “Radar” (coincidentally my favorite tracks from the album but that’s OK, i’m only a little sad.) While it would have been great to hear a bit of diversity in the set, the higher ratio of new to old tracks in the setlist is more than understandable. TEEN has a new record to showcase, and they did a fantastic job doing so. Seeing the band bring these wonderfully constructed indie pop tunes to life on stage gave the songs from Good Fruit a rawness that isn’t as pronounced on the album versions.
The set began with ‘Fruit highlight “Putney” a subtle but funky track, buoyed by a infectious bass line, that showcases the vocal harmonies between Kristina and Lizzie exceptionally well. It was a great intro into the set which led well into more dance-able songs like “Runner” and the synth heavy “Ripe”. The set kept up the fun synth and bass heavy vibe for the most part culminating in a great performance of the track “Shadow”. A bulk of the set had been sung by Kristina until midway through when lead vocals were passed to Lizzie who delivered a powerful version of their album closer “Pretend”. Witnessing the strong vocal duo of Kristina and Lizzie live and in-person added another level of appreciation for the band that wasn’t there before. The best example of this was their incredible performance of “Connected” from the new record. The song was made up of a simple backing track and drums but seeing Kristina and Lizzie sing it together, sharing the same lyric sheet, made for a deeply moving version of this track that had me in awe.
Placing Love Yes highlights “Animal” in the middle of the set and “Free Time” before the close of the set were great choices. They served as nice reminders of their previous work and proved that these older tracks work well in the context of their new material. That definitely applies to their performance of the Good Fruit closer “Only Water” which flowed directly into “Rose 4 U” from TEEN’s early album The Way and The Color. Their set showcased the best of their catalog, from past to present, and was a testament to what a great band TEEN are. They’ve been creating amazing indie rock for nearly ten years now and they continue to perform exciting new material with just as much thoughtfulness as when they began.
Akenya Official | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Soundcloud | Spotify
TEEN Official | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Spotify
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