Even after trying to sort out all of those “Teen” bands, we still don’t know the difference between TEEN and The Teen Age. But this much is certain: Our new favorite, Teen Commandments, is playing the rooftop of Our Wicked Lady on Friday, and we’re super psyched to be premiering the new music video for “Party Talk,” off of their forthcoming EP.
You may actually remember these Teen-sters from a contest held by Brooklyn Brewery back in 2012. Challenged to create an anthem for the G train, roommates Brett Moses and Nick LaGrasta teamed up to make “No Burning Headlight,” a shimmering ’80s pop number that made you feel like you were waiting for the Godawful in neon-pink leggings and a Jordache jacket.
As a result of winning the contest– and with it, a trip to Sweden– the fledgling band’s first shows were in Europe, which is somehow appropriate, given that their influences included New Order, Depeche Mode, and Talking Heads. Back home, they bounced around to parties and shows at venues like 285 Kent and Shea Stadium and penned synth-pop songs for what would become “Burn All Night,” a musical theater production that just ended its run at American Repertory Theater’s Oberon space in Cambridge, Mass.
That project arose after band member Van Hughes, also an actor who starred alongside Billy Joe Armstrong in Green Day’s American Idiot, teamed up with Andy Mientus, from NBC’s Smash, to write an apocalyptic play about hard-partying millennials. During the immersive production, audience members interact with the actors/partiers while a band (also played by actors) belts out songs written by Teen Commandments.
Clearly, this fivesome (rounded out by Hampus Öhman-Frölund and Rosie Slater) appreciates the idea of party magic, and it shows on their forthcoming EP, Read Between the Lines. The video they’re premiering here is for “Party Talk,” a paean to party chatter. “Why not let the conversation set you free?” Moses sings, before making an imploration you might hear from Fischerspooner or The Rapture: “Come on, chat with me.”
The video, directed by Zoloo Brown and Vrinda Wutevr, takes place in a dance studio in Greenpoint, where the band also keeps a rehearsal and recording space, and reflects the influence of retro-weirdo auteurs like Tim and Eric.
Don’t ask us what’s up with the water-balloon foot dance– let’s just hope they do it live at their record release show at Our Wicked Lady. Tickets to the Sept. 15 show, with openers Brothertiger, are $10. Remember to chat someone up while you’re there.