by Joseph Purcell

On Good Time, Teenanger have re-emerged more creative than ever before – while delivering a record that sees their signature energy channelled into a new sound

Toronto post punk quartet, Teenanger, specialise in a lo-fi, post-punk, but having refined the hooks, Good Time is their most accessible work yet – which is tinged with a pop infused, softer edge.

This, the band’s sixth LP, was almost the end of Teenanger. Following their last, self-titled release, the band found themselves in a rut – stuck in the monotonous churn of rehearsals, touring, and the repetition of an album cycle, which had been their reality for years. The band admittedly felt flat – lacking spark and feeling creatively empty. It was a change in physical surroundings that broke this, and the move to a new rehearsal space – Studio Z – that the band credit as being the spark for the aptly named Good Time.

Single, Trillium Song, rattles along with a spikiness that you might associate with early Talking Heads, while Chris Swimmings espouses rebellious anti-establishment calls of – ‘politician takes us for a fool’ – over sharp, angular, metronomic guitars.

And Good Time really does feel like a band hitting their stride. The intertwined vocals of Swimmings and Melissa Balls on opener, Beige, work perfectly – acting as a social commentary to the mundanity of reality. While the carefree shuffle of Romance for Rent – which starts with a quirky, reggae vibe, hollow drums and skiffle beats – melts into a hypnotic vocal turn, which makes it an immediate standout. Straight to Computer, too, follows this pattern, before Touching Glass deals with the encroaching sense of doom from the mass surrender to technology. The lyrical topics varied to say the least.

Good Time is a fun, eight track step forward for Teenanger. More thoughtfully dynamic than previous releases, the band now feel like a creative force that are ready to tackle the next decade together.

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