The teenage years are filled with many disappointments, fears, and heartbreak. It’s also filled with many exciting moments, hope, and love. The bands below created music that encapsulates the range of the feelings that arise with the coming of age and are perfect conduits to reliving those teenage years.
1.) Lunar Vacation
Lunar Vacation sounds like an ethereal space synthpop band. The song “Swimming” is a classic song about a teen trying to fit in. Then there are the lyrics in “Blue Honey'' which allude to how loneliness fades when experiencing love. The songs are from Lunar Vacation’s EP Swell and are examples of dream-like melodies, bedroom indie music, and ultimately adolescent anguish.
2.) The Drums
Surf rock never sounded so good then when The Drums popped onto the music scene in 2010. Many of their songs, like “Mirror” and “Under the Ice”, deal with complicated themes such as self-reflection and depression. Other common themes are breaking up (“How it Ended”), moving (“Days”), teenage boredom (“I Need Fun in My Life”), and accidentally hurting someone you love (“Blood under my Belt”. The Drums provide a full array of teen angst.
3.) The Rare Occasions
The Rare Occasions became famous due to their hit song “Notion” which was sampled and went viral on TikTok. The Rare Occasions write songs that capture the teenage experience. The song “Futureproof” describes how transitioning can feel with thought-provoking lyrics such as “You can take pictures on your phone, but save your fleeting youth.”
4.) Sunflower Bean
“I Don’t Have Control Sometimes” off their new album, Headful of Sugar, describes how Sunflower Bean lead singer, Julia Cumming, constantly provokes people and the track has a streak of teenage rebellion. The band’s song “I Was a Fool”, from their second album Twentytwo in Blue, describes how it feels when experiencing betrayal in a relationship. Sunflower Bean is perfect for sinking into that quiet teenage torment.
5.) Surf Curse
This aptly named surf rock band creates tunes that may give some comfort to those wanting to relive their teenage angst. Those who thought of themselves as outcast teens will especially find a connection to the song “Freaks”, fall in love with the band’s hit song “Disco”, or just get completely lost in the tune “Labyrinth.”