Teen Men seem to beautifully reflect on youth through mature sound craft with their blissful indie-pop debut. The name Teen Men spouts from an advert in an early 1960s Playboy. The term funds ideals of irrational self-confidence and risk taking, and the band’s first record beholds a free spirit and fun, through summery synth sounds, of uplifting harmony.

Chiming the record into a sugary spin, ‘Hiding Records – So Dangerous’ drifts a hazy and fragrant dream. Tinkering charming synth keys spiral amongst plucks of rhythmic guitar, which usher the track forward in a soothing slow pensive form. “With you I feel so dangerous…” drifts the vocals, encapsulating the adrenalin of young love in a breeze.

Opening with adorable tangles of guitar, ‘Adventure Kids’ shimmies in catching indie-pop like a more sophisticated Vampire Weekend. Teen Men perfect the twist of indie with their own blissed-out zeal. Contorted strings decorate ‘Adventure Kids’ background with a poignant flare; Teen Men’s attention to details forms the seamlessly mixed record.

At their most atmospheric, ‘Rene’ sees Teen Men swirl in ambient electronics that ecstatically haunt. Whilst ‘Fall Out Of A Tree’ plods in pools of trippy melodies and rhythms, whist lyrically the track beholds classic-pop song-craft. “Fall out a tree and I start staying at home, fall out of love and lose my money from songs…” bounces the vocals with an undeniably catching resonance, as it describes the ups and downs of youthful romance.

‘Kids Being Kids’ is the downbeat yet saccharine and sparkling summery-pop track, which is the flawless advanced sunshine soundtrack to July. Seeing a male and female voice collide in equally soft and bewildering tones over a dream land of a soundscape, the song is kaleidoscope into spent youth, “We fall on the floor and it is what it is, once more round the block, just kids being kids.”

Teen Men capture a youthful innocence in a shine of summer, with a more than remarkable first record. Not only do Teen Men focus on an elevating sweet synth-pop resonance, but also with it they bring quirky artistic visuals, which can be seen in the band’s YouTube videos. Collaborating the ear with the eye, Nick Krill & Joe Hobson – previously of America’s 90s indie-rock group The Spinto Band – team with the creativity of two visual artists, Albert Birney (former creator of gorilla adventures on his Simply Sylvio vine) and Master of Fine Arts graduate Catherine Maloney.

Though the album stood alone is stimulating and joyous, it seems for Teen Men to be appreciated in their entire creative format, their music should be caught live with its imaginative stage backdrops. But for now, their debut record is impressive enough.

Teen Men is released on July 17^th via Bar None Records.

Emily Schofield 
@EmSchofield94