newcritics

When Imperial Teen opened for The Breeders in 2002 they caused quite a sensation. The San Francisco indie-pop band nearly stole the show at Irving Plaza. Lucky for the Deal sisters that John Cameron Mitchell made a special appearance on stage that night.

After a five year hiatus from recording and touring, Jone Stebbins, Roddy Bottum, Lynn (Perko) Truell, and Will Schwartz prove they still know how to deliver catchy, harmonious pop songs, sparkling with B-52s vocal moxie, lots of cool repetitive hooks, and their own brand of jaded humor. With their fourth album, The Hair the TV the Baby & the Band (Merge), Imperial Teen continue exploring personal, social, and sexual themes. Like the Kinks, they seem to pleasure in writing bouncy pop songs while singing lyrics about the darker problems of adult life. Any band their age with an ironic name like Imperial Teen can’t help being a bit self-conscious about growing older and “Room With A View” captures that perfectly with — Nothing left to defend/Going under the knife/Do our best to pretend/We’ll be 20 for life. Well, Imperial Teen certainly have more than enough youthful energy on stage to rock the house. I suggest you catch them on tour before they retire.