Teenage Kicks
Bio
The last decade has been curiously absent of a few things - loud guitars, slamming drums, and powerful front men. These three things are, by and large, key elements in defining the sound of "rock n' roll." So, by this logic, it would be safe to say that rock n' roll has been notably absent for the majority of the past decade.
What these factors have been sacrificed for are things that are far more... fleeting, and a sound that is better suited to impersonal, anonymous dance clubs than intimate, energetic, unpredictable rock n' roll shows. This is music akin to a one night stand - meaningless, empty and, more often than not, something you look back on embarrassedly, afraid to admit you indulged in such an act.
Teenage Kicks are the exact opposite of that. Their music is like the girl you meet in high school that you end up marrying ten years later. Their songs stay with you, and you grow to love more about them as time goes by. It's not a backdrop for drunken twenty-somethings awkwardly lusting after each other in dark clubs, but a soundtrack for young hearts finding true love and sharing moments that will stay with them forever. In a nutshell, it's rock n' roll.
The band's debut EP, Rational Anthems, provided that soundtrack; a record full of unforgettable melodies leading a charge backed by stadium-sized guitars and exploding drums, with an overall tone that painted a vivid picture of nostalgic, end of summer gatherings just as easily as it could be played in a convertible on a long drive down an empty highway.
The Kicks' latest record, Be On My Side, reflects on those moments with older, wiser eyes and ears. The six-song EP finds the group expanding beyond the grungey power-pop of the first release, exploring more melodic territory than ever before. It is the sound of a band more sure of itself - and understandably so, after a seemingly never-ending string of enviable gigs with the likes of Sloan, The Sheepdogs, Theory Of A Deadman, Treble Charger, Dinosaur Bones and more.
Some downtime occurred in between countless shows around southern Ontario and the recording of Be On My Side - most of which was, in true DIY fashion, produced by frontman Peter Van Helvoort himself. In this time, the group changed from a quartet to a quintet with the addition of guitarist Christian Turner.
""Having Christian come in on guitar changed the way we played live drastically," explains the singer/guitarist. "I was able to focus more on singing rather than playing guitar, and the entire live show became a lot more dynamic. It was a risky transition, but I think it's made us a stronger unit overall, and that comes on the new songs."
No one could argue the fact that the band has stepped it up significantly on this new batch of tunes. The five-piece - rounded out by bassist Jeff Van Helvoort, guitarist Patrick Marchent and drummer Cameron Brunt - sounds unstoppably powerful on instant classics like "Middle Of The Night" and the revamped version of crowd favourite "Shook Our Bones," but they don't sacrifice their pop sensibility or tuneful nuances for muscle alone.
The complex arrangements on opener "Setting Son," with its interwoven guitars and delicate harmonies, work to further cement Peter Van Helvoort's reputation as a songwriting force to be reckoned with. Elsewhere, the Kicks make an effort to stretch beyond the arena-ready bangers they're known for, particularly on the bluesy shuffle of the album's closer, "You Shall Not Want."
"We grew up listening to all kinds of music," the singer recalls. "During our teens Jeff and I spent our free time in punk and hardcore bands, but the groups we adored as kids like Oasis, CCR, The Band and Pearl Jam always stuck with us the most. Those bands wrote unforgettable songs with amazing melodies while seamlessly crossing in and out of the greater good of rock n’ roll, which is what we aspire to do. Any band can write a good riff. We want to write great songs."
The band recently unveiled the Teenage Kicks Singles Club, a service that will deliver two new songs to subscribers every two months - a canny marketing tool as well as a genuine way to connect with fans in the digital age. Add an innovative way to share music to the Kicks' acute sense of what makes songs stick with listeners and you have a phenomenon on your hands.
"It's a way for us to get our music out to our fans without them having to wait however long for our albums to come out," Van Helvoort points out. "We've got so many songs in the archives, some of which we've been playing for years, but they just haven't shown up on our albums. So instead of letting them fade into obscurity, we wanted to share them all with whoever wants to listen to them, for free."
In a perfect world, Teenage Kicks would be ushering in a new wave of bands who are sick of the trite, contrived music passed off as rock n' roll for the past decade, but even if this revolution never happens, we should count our blessings that we have Be On My Side - an incendiary record that instantly reminds us of all the reasons rock music is such an enduring art form in the first place.
MOST RECENT VIDEO
_____________________
CONTACT
Label: Rezolute Music (CAN)
Management: Ian Stanger at Black Box
Booking: Ralph James at The Agency Group
The last decade has been curiously absent of a few things - loud guitars, slamming drums, and powerful front men. These three things are, by and large, key elements in defining the sound of "rock n' roll." So, by this logic, it would be safe to say that rock n' roll has been notably absent for the majority of the past decade.
What these factors have been sacrificed for are things that are far more... fleeting, and a sound that is better suited to impersonal, anonymous dance clubs than intimate, energetic, unpredictable rock n' roll shows. This is music akin to a one night stand - meaningless, empty and, more often than not, something you look back on embarrassedly, afraid to admit you indulged in such an act.
Teenage Kicks are the exact opposite of that. Their music is like the girl you meet in high school that you end up marrying ten years later. Their songs stay with you, and you grow to love more about them as time goes by. It's not a backdrop for drunken twenty-somethings awkwardly lusting after each other in dark clubs, but a soundtrack for young hearts finding true love and sharing moments that will stay with them forever. In a nutshell, it's rock n' roll.
The band's debut EP, Rational Anthems, provided that soundtrack; a record full of unforgettable melodies leading a charge backed by stadium-sized guitars and exploding drums, with an overall tone that painted a vivid picture of nostalgic, end of summer gatherings just as easily as it could be played in a convertible on a long drive down an empty highway.
The Kicks' latest record, Be On My Side, reflects on those moments with older, wiser eyes and ears. The six-song EP finds the group expanding beyond the grungey power-pop of the first release, exploring more melodic territory than ever before. It is the sound of a band more sure of itself - and understandably so, after a seemingly never-ending string of enviable gigs with the likes of Sloan, The Sheepdogs, Theory Of A Deadman, Treble Charger, Dinosaur Bones and more.
Some downtime occurred in between countless shows around southern Ontario and the recording of Be On My Side - most of which was, in true DIY fashion, produced by frontman Peter Van Helvoort himself. In this time, the group changed from a quartet to a quintet with the addition of guitarist Christian Turner.
""Having Christian come in on guitar changed the way we played live drastically," explains the singer/guitarist. "I was able to focus more on singing rather than playing guitar, and the entire live show became a lot more dynamic. It was a risky transition, but I think it's made us a stronger unit overall, and that comes on the new songs."
No one could argue the fact that the band has stepped it up significantly on this new batch of tunes. The five-piece - rounded out by bassist Jeff Van Helvoort, guitarist Patrick Marchent and drummer Cameron Brunt - sounds unstoppably powerful on instant classics like "Middle Of The Night" and the revamped version of crowd favourite "Shook Our Bones," but they don't sacrifice their pop sensibility or tuneful nuances for muscle alone.
The complex arrangements on opener "Setting Son," with its interwoven guitars and delicate harmonies, work to further cement Peter Van Helvoort's reputation as a songwriting force to be reckoned with. Elsewhere, the Kicks make an effort to stretch beyond the arena-ready bangers they're known for, particularly on the bluesy shuffle of the album's closer, "You Shall Not Want."
"We grew up listening to all kinds of music," the singer recalls. "During our teens Jeff and I spent our free time in punk and hardcore bands, but the groups we adored as kids like Oasis, CCR, The Band and Pearl Jam always stuck with us the most. Those bands wrote unforgettable songs with amazing melodies while seamlessly crossing in and out of the greater good of rock n’ roll, which is what we aspire to do. Any band can write a good riff. We want to write great songs."
The band recently unveiled the Teenage Kicks Singles Club, a service that will deliver two new songs to subscribers every two months - a canny marketing tool as well as a genuine way to connect with fans in the digital age. Add an innovative way to share music to the Kicks' acute sense of what makes songs stick with listeners and you have a phenomenon on your hands.
"It's a way for us to get our music out to our fans without them having to wait however long for our albums to come out," Van Helvoort points out. "We've got so many songs in the archives, some of which we've been playing for years, but they just haven't shown up on our albums. So instead of letting them fade into obscurity, we wanted to share them all with whoever wants to listen to them, for free."
In a perfect world, Teenage Kicks would be ushering in a new wave of bands who are sick of the trite, contrived music passed off as rock n' roll for the past decade, but even if this revolution never happens, we should count our blessings that we have Be On My Side - an incendiary record that instantly reminds us of all the reasons rock music is such an enduring art form in the first place.
MOST RECENT VIDEO
_____________________
CONTACT
Label: Rezolute Music (CAN)
Management: Ian Stanger at Black Box
Booking: Ralph James at The Agency Group
Releases
Be On My Side
February 28 2012
February 28 2012
Tour Dates
There are no dates currently posted for this artist
