New Music: The Julies x memory stitches – Teenage Sadness

The video, with its grainy school images and faded VHS colours that bleed into each other, isn’t the only thing about Teenage Sadness that embodies 90s and 00s nostalgia.

The source material for the song itself is surprising, because while it does vibe like those artists, Teenage Sadness sees The Julies look elsewhere for inspiration – their own past. Back in 1996, the band released their Lovelife EP, but as well received as it was, ‘the music business’ had other ideas, and eventually The Julies went into abeyance.

Lovelife was rediscovered in recent years, allowing the band to reignite, with Teenage Sadness a new, small flame burning bright. It swirls around in the 90s, a misty – if not mystical – sound that has shadows of Slowdive, The Go-Betweens, and minor tones of Smashing Pumpkins that would have been a hit back then and should be now. 

“At the time of writing, my family was really into belting out Lana Del Rey’s Summertime Sadness in the car,” recalls singer Chris Newkirk, who has joined on the chorus of Teenage Sadness by Olivia Buchholz of synth-pop duo memory stitches.

“Meanwhile, I’d fallen in love with Crowded House’s latest single at the time, Teenage Summer. Somewhere between those two songs, I ended up with a song title that just screamed single, not to mention some license to keep indulging in the theme of personal nostalgia.”

Teenage Sadness is from Cherisher, the upcoming album by The Julies, which is set for release on the 27th of February via Lost in Ohio. The LP is up for pre-order in vinyl and digital formats on Bandcamp – for album and band news, head over to Facebook or Instagram.