All through Teen Suicide’s older albums, every thing was home-recorded, whether or not on a laptop computer or on tape. In a manner, that grew to become their id, although it turned limiting and exhausting to be categorized as a lo-fi band. Their newest, Nude descending staircase headless, begins a contemporary chapter, transferring away from their bed room experiments and marking their first studio recording. Steered by go-to alt producer Mike Sapone (Taking Again Sunday, Anxious), the leap in high quality synthesizes their many strengths — tongue-in-cheek humor (“Struggling (Mike’s Manner)”), layers of fuzz (“Anhedonia”), and highly effective screams that symbolize their love for all issues heavy (“Conserving Her Keys”).
“All of us love doom steel, stoner, sludge, black steel — particularly bands that may combine tremendous punishing riffs with actually stunning, haunting vocal harmonies,” they inform AP. “We’ve been wanting that to be a a lot greater a part of our sound for some time, particularly at our reveals.” Instantly satisfying, that may be heard all all through Nude descending…, which they’ll debut night time after night time once they head out on tour with Cloud Nothings, Liquid Mike, and others subsequent month.
Learn extra: SOFIA ISELLA digs your discomfort
Under, Teen Suicide allow us to into their inventive course of, observe by observe, together with a fairly unorthodox studio approach: “Simply shut your eyes and picture that as a substitute of a microphone, you’re standing proper in entrance of Jared Leto’s ear, and should you scream in his ear loud sufficient and arduous sufficient, he’ll by no means hear once more…”
“Anhedonia”
This was the primary tune we wrote along with our drummer Niko [Wood] after he joined the band. We had a tour booked, supporting Delta Sleep, and a few festivals developing the place we’d be taking part in with loads of a lot heavier bands, and we needed to jot down one thing heavier and stranger to hopefully higher match with these payments. We’d been desirous to discover that facet of our sound extra for some time, and Niko’s taking part in actually introduced that out of us straight away.
This was additionally a really enjoyable tune to document, and we predict the chords are fairly attention-grabbing. With the guitar and bass tuned to a low C, you get some attention-grabbing voicings. The synth was a giant second for us, attempting to jot down a lead that may lower by means of all of the layers of fuzz like that, with the proper tone and results. It actually helped Kitty change her thought of what the synth can do in a band like ours, and ever since then, we’ve been writing much more stuff that builds on that. I bear in mind Mike Sapone being so blown away by the ultimate synth tone that he whipped his cellphone out to document a video of how we completed it so we wouldn’t overlook.
“Fool”
We actually love this tune — there’s a cause we needed to launch it as our first single. We now have Niko to thank for this one as nicely, since we’d by no means have been in a position to pull off a tune like this with out his drum ability. We wrote that nasty, opening circular-saw riff at our first follow collectively. It took possibly 9 extra months for us to give you the remainder of the tune. We approached it in three elements, actually: the intro and verses, that haunting center part, and at last the breakdown, which we wrote and organized only some weeks earlier than recording the album.
The center, the place Sam and Kitty are harmonizing over these layers and layers of harmonizing guitars, synths, and piano… that was a giant second within the studio. Everybody’s inspiration was transferring in several instructions, attempting to determine what to do first. It was nice. It really works as an overture, to us, these totally different sections that recur. Hopefully, it provides you a way of what’s to return on the document.
The video is actually superior. Wyatt Carson actually nailed it along with his animation, beginning with the idea of the tune and constructing out this complete world round it along with his artwork. The inspiration for our music comes as a lot, or extra, from visible artwork, movie, literature, efficiency artwork, and this tune is a good instance. In the event that they ever made a film out of Sorokin’s Blue Lard, I’d hope they’d use this tune for it.
“Struggling (Mike’s Manner)”
If a lot of our album is wanting ahead, this tune is without doubt one of the few that appears again as a substitute, towards the place we began. We began writing it in 2023 whereas listening to loads of stuff like Wire, the Feelies, Cleaners from Venus, the Thermals — music with actually uncooked, quick, driving rhythms. We needed to play one thing like that, simply because it’s so enjoyable and feels so good. However abruptly it adjustments… that center part opens every thing up unexpectedly. There’s an enormous synth line that sticks in your head for weeks, after which there’s most likely seven or eight totally different guitar leads all spiderwebbing round one another, creating all these neat momentary harmonies. It’s virtually like an overload, and as quickly because it’s there, it’s gone once more. We fucking love that.
The parenthetical within the title is a tongue-in-cheek kind of nod to our producer, Mike Sapone. He had a really robust imaginative and prescient for the tune and was very captivated with that. His imaginative and prescient occurred to vary from Sam’s by one single word within the refrain. Passionate arguments have been made on each side, however in the long run, all of us needed to admit that Mike’s model was one of the best. Therefore, us attempting to offer credit score the place it’s due.
“Spiders”
Kitty first began writing “Spiders” proper after we moved to Florida in 2022. She was extraordinarily depressed, questioning why she’d needed to maneuver again dwelling. We have been each going by means of a really bizarre transitional section. It was extraordinarily arduous to create something, to jot down something, document something. In the future, a tune was lastly prepared to return out, so we sat down on the desk collectively, and she or he dictated what to play on guitar. This one got here collectively so rapidly. It was very cathartic.
The heavier facet of the tune really got here later. At first, we simply had the chords and her singing. In 2023, we determined to start out taking part in it stay simply to see the place it could go, but it surely wasn’t till Niko joined us in 2024 that the tune actually got here collectively. It’s humorous, we performed the tune for thus lengthy that by 2025, once we carried out it, there can be folks singing alongside to each phrase, although we hadn’t recorded it but. Not even a demo. That’s once we knew that it could be very particular.
“The Knives”
“The Knives” is likely to be brief, however for Sam no less than, it’s the guts of the album. The lyrics, themes, the best way all of it suits collectively, the bass, the drums, guitars, keys, vocals, harmonies — it’s like a fantastic net. After which it’s all gone simply as rapidly. There’s a second in the direction of the top that every one of us agree is likely to be our favourite second on the document. We gained’t spoil it, for anybody ready to listen to all of it nonetheless.
For Kitty, it was an opportunity to lastly document an actual Rhodes. The studio in Massachusetts (Ghost Hit) had one, and we couldn’t wait to make use of it for one thing. We really tried loads of totally different synths and sounds first — even the grand piano — the Rhodes was the one lead sound that match proper within the combine.
“Every thing in my life is ideal”
“Every thing in my life is ideal” is definitely the oldest tune on our document. Whereas an excellent a part of the tune developed pretty lately, the primary verse and lyrics date again no less than a decade.. .possibly longer. On the time, we weren’t assured we might pull off a kind of “character tune” like this. Being a bunch of younger shitheads ourselves, we anxious that it may very well be misconstrued, primarily. Now it looks like we will actually do it proper.
It’s one other tune we’ve been taking part in stay for some time and actually creating onstage through improvisation — the center part, the place the tempo perks up a bit, got here collectively from touring a lot the previous few years.
There are such a lot of little touches we love, it’s arduous to single out what to spotlight. We’ll always remember Mike, towards the top of our studio time, after the tune was practically completed, leaning again in his chair and saying one thing like, “It’s loopy, it begins out ‘Watermelon in Easter Hay’ and finally ends up ‘St. Alfonzo!’” I can’t consider a extra heartwarming praise.
“Sweet / Squeeze”
This observe began out with the riff. Sam stored strolling round the home taking part in the principle riff and driving Kitty insane. Then he flew out to Seattle, to complete writing drums for the document with Niko, and confirmed it to him, and he got here up with the drums straight away. It simply felt so nice. They recorded a demo of it that very same day and despatched it again to Kitty, who was in Florida writing vocals and preparations for the album.
Within the studio, we satisfied Mike to strive recording the guitar and drums completely stay, and Niko and Sam did it in about two takes. We added within the different guitars and bass and set it apart; it was really the final tune Kitty recorded vocals for, and due to that, the remainder of the band, Sam included, didn’t get to listen to what she’d written till after Mike had completed mixing the document. As soon as the remainder of us heard it, we couldn’t consider it. Once we performed it for Kitty’s mother, she stated, “It feels like Nirvana, such as you used loads of the Black Keys on the keyboard.”
“Dwelling loss of life”
“Dwelling loss of life” is in a really enjoyable guitar tuning. It’s CGCGGC. We now have to carry an additional guitar on tour simply to play this one tune, but it surely’s price it as a result of the tune is so enjoyable to play. It helps that the guitar is a fantastic Daisy Rock with a glowing pink end, which Sam discovered at Dipinto’s in Philly, again once we lived there. Somebody clearly liked the guitar, as a result of it’s very closely personalized, with some completely crushing Seymour Duncan pickups swapped in.
That’s the guitar we used to document it, additionally. We went actually deep with tones on this tune, for guitar and synth each. Sonically, it’s one in every of our favourite moments on the document. A few of our favourite lyrics additionally. Basically, it’s about this concept the place Jesus has come again, however within the Nineteen Eighties, and in Poland this time, and so they’re crucifying him once more, however completely nobody cares in any respect. So, the narrator of the tune, who’s unnamed, goes to see Jesus on his large steel cross, which is about two tales tall. They climb up a giant ladder to take a look at his face, and though they don’t consider in his complete shtick actually, they really feel immense disappointment for him, and out of pity, determine to carry out their hand to him and let him eat almonds out of their palm, like the way you’d feed a horse.
“Conserving Her Keys”
This one was initially known as “Crows.” I feel we nonetheless write it that manner on our setlists typically accidentally. It was written across the similar time as “Spiders.” As talked about, Kitty’s psychological well being was fairly trash at the moment. And the crows have been all the time round. Heck, they nonetheless are. Counting the crows grew to become obligatory for her, logging all of the crows in that divinatory manner. Writing the tune was sort of a cathartic manner of translating the obsessive ideas to music.
We wrote the large riff first, listening to loads of outdated screamo and stuff. The remainder didn’t actually come collectively till later, once we began taking part in with Niko. The screaming on the finish was one of many final issues we recorded. Kitty was getting confused as a result of it was our final day, and we have been operating out of time within the studio, and she or he wasn’t getting the depth she needed from her voice. The engineer informed her, “Simply shut your eyes and picture that as a substitute of a microphone, you’re standing proper in entrance of Jared Leto’s ear, and should you scream in his ear loud sufficient and arduous sufficient, he’ll by no means hear once more.” It labored, and the following take ended up being the one which went on the document. Now we use that trick on a regular basis.
“Hypnotic poison”
Kitty really wrote this tune again in 2018, for her solo mission. The unique demo was very totally different, all drum machines and chilly ’80s synths. We have been going by means of a authorized battle on the time with one in every of her exes, who was suing anybody who spoke out about his previous abuse actions, and the tune was partly written in response to that, processing it. She meant to incorporate it on her subsequent document, however when the time got here, it didn’t really feel proper to document, and in order that was that, for about seven years.
By the point we’d booked periods for this new album, Sam had been pushing her to revisit “poison” as a Teen Suicide tune. We had this concept of doing a really stripped-back model, very atmospheric, with piano and bass, largely. It was the one tune we dropped at Mike with none clear concepts for the association — simply ideas.
We really recorded the entire drums first, since Niko was solely with us for the primary few days of recording. We tracked all of the gradual, atmospheric drums and layers first, after which Mike stored pushing him to play busier, louder, heavier, extra chaotic “simply in case.” Weeks later, we listened to the observe, attempting to determine what we have been lacking about it. That’s when Mike had the revelation that we would have liked to show it inside out — begin as large as potential and work backwards. Every thing else fell into place immediately after that — it was unbelievable.
“Kindnesses”
This was an odd tune proper from the beginning. The lyrics, chords, key modulations, even the construction — it by no means ought to have labored in addition to it did. However it simply felt good. We needed to do one thing like Eric’s Journey or Sebadoh, the place these enormous layers of fuzz cowl up and overwhelm a fantastic acoustic guitar and vocals. By the point we put the piano melody to the center part, we knew it was a part of the album.
“Not born to run”
For the primary jiffy, it’s probably the most historically Teen Suicide-sounding tune on our document. Then there’s the ending. We are able to’t bear in mind which one in every of us first thought to herald that double-time drum beat, however as quickly as we tried it, we knew it needed to have a spot on our document. Every thing simply match round it so nicely.
On the unique demo, Sam had carried out a tough model of the identical guitar ending, the place layer upon layer of semi-improvised guitar provides up like that. We needed to do one thing just like the Durutti Column or Felt or the previous few Discuss Discuss data, with these layers. He labored out the principle melodic parts from the demo in order that once we recorded the tune, he might construct extra round them. We stored having Mike loop the part many times, so as to add extra to it. First, he’d say, “That’s most likely sufficient. I’ve obtained what I want,” and we’d say, “No, give us another, and as quickly as you hate it, you possibly can lower it off.” After a short while, he stopped, closed his eyes, and simply stored urgent document. We don’t know what number of layers are in there, most likely 15 to twenty, since so lots of them are so delicate. After we had it carried out, we simply let that part play many times, listening to it.
And there’s the cricket! It’s an actual cricket. It apparently obtained into Mike’s when he was mixing, and so we stored it on the very finish. It’s neat, and it reminds us of Meadowlands by the Wrens.
“Come and see the clown”
“Come and see the clown” is probably the most private tune Sam has written in his a few years within the band. It’s not a darkish, dreary tune about drug dependancy, or horrible traumas, or no matter else, but it surely’s about life, and love, and artwork, and obsessive compulsion, and laughter, efficiency, movie star, dad and mom and youngsters, generations — every thing in a life, actually, from delivery to goals to heaven to loss of life. It’s obtained a really intentional mistake in the direction of the top, which differentiates this model of the tune from the a whole lot of different occasions it’s been carried out. Type of just like the small chip that authenticates a priceless vintage vase. It’s this error, in a manner, which makes the tune vibrate and hum, when recorded like this, fairly than limp lifelessly right into a lump on the ground. And that’s music.
