Hilary Rawk

Rock-influenced experimental synth-pop band The Teenagers is being touted as the next big thing to come out of the UK. Originally from Paris, the band was born in 2005 when best friends Michael Szpiner (bass), Dorian Dumont (guitar, synth) and Quentin Delafon (vocals) decided to start a group for fun.

They made a Web page for their new band. The first comment on the site was from a girl named Nicole. One very drunk night around Christmas 2005 they wrote a bass-heavy song about their 19-year-old MySpace friend. They called the song "Fuck Nicole," and the lyrics are—well, you get the idea. The song was good—think Velvet Underground meets Folk Implosion—so good, in fact, that they racked up over 100,000 MySpace friends and got the attention of the English label Merok, home of the Klaxons and the Crystal Castles.

Recently signed to the US Label XL Recordings, they are in good company with label mates like the White Stripes and Peaches. Their first album on XL, "Reality Check," is due out in mid-March 2008 and features tracks like "Homecoming," an irreverent song about sleeping with an American cheerleader, and "Starlett Johansson," a perfect example of their love for ironic humor and pretty girls. It's a stalker-ish ode to Scarlett Johansson, and it's great.

Check these tracks on the groups MySpace page—which, by the way, has a very cool background that Dumont says he found on the Internet. "I have a folder called treasure chest," he says. "It's packed with this kind of stuff that I use for artwork. Yeah, treasure chest…always bring sunshine in your everyday life."

During the group’s powerful live shows, Dumont explains, they feed off the energy of their audience. Currently on tour, they will be stopping through Chicago to DJ and perform at one of the best monthly dance parties in town—Dark Wave Disco. At their Chicago show, Dumont says we can expect "A lot of sweat. And new dance routines. No, I'm kidding. We use the old ones." (Hilary Rawk)

The Teenagers perform live and DJ at Dark Wave Disco, along with residents Trancid, Mark Gertz and Greg Corner at Sonotheque, 1444 West Chicago, (312)226-7600, on January 26, 9pm-3am. $15.

(2008-01-22)

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