Teenage Halloween has announced their brand new sophomore studio album Till You Return due out on October 20 via Don Giovanni. The band, fronted by non-binary guitarist / songwriter Luk Henderiks, unveil their one-two punch double A-side single “Supertrans / Takeaway” alongside an official video. Announcing their return with reckless abandon, Henderiks’ voice comes in with an immediate urgency about gender identity and perception, at first backed by a lone distorted guitar, but quickly followed with the intense melodic and driving fullness that anyone that has seen the band live has come to expect. The double-single is streaming everywhere now.
Stand by your friends that are hurting. That’s what Teenage Halloween do through soaring arrangements of melodic angst, wracked vocals that insist “I love you so much I would die for you,” and passion-packed two-minute dispatches tackling topics from gender euphoria, to state abuses, and an eternal quest for mental well-being. The results are potent punk vistas that document young queer life at the edge of America.
“Supertrans / Takeaway” is accompanied by a tripped-out night terror visual directed by band buddy Jordan Serrano of CALICUZNS. In reference to the singles’ lyrics, Luk battles some of their deepest anxieties brought to life in the demonic form of their bandmates.
At the heart of vocalist and guitarist Luk Henderiks’ lyrics is an urgent longing for community. Despite their often striking personal vulnerability, these songs reach out to the wider world, striving to hold themselves and those around them accountable for their actions and to make space for those that need to be heard. In 2020, the band released their self-titled debut album via storied Garden State label Don Giovanni and swiftly won over a host of tastemakers. BrooklynVegan placed it at #10 on their Best New Punk Albums Of 2020, while Stereogum hailed them on their 40 Best New Bands Of 2020 list. American Songwriter, Paste, and KEXP brought further kind words to the table.
Having been unable to tour the album on its release in pre-vaccine times, the band hit the road with abandon in late 2021 and beyond, notching nearly 150 shows on their belts; including their first national US tour, an invitation to showcase at SXSW, and dates with Algernon Cadwallader, Chris Farren, Good Riddance, Say Anything and many more. These shows invariably deliver a calling card of unrelenting energy, wry wit, and warmth.
In February 2023, the group headed into Headroom Studios in Philadelphia, PA, under the guiding hand of producer Joe Reinhart (Hop Along, Beach Bunny, Joyce Manor), and tracked the 13 dispatches on isolation, uncertainty, and hope for better days, that make up Till You Return. This second full-length outing finds the band, which operated as a ‘rotating cast’ in it’s early years, now firmly entrenched as an essential four-piece comprised of Henderiks alongside Eli Frank (guitar, vocals), Tricia Marshall (bass, vocals) and Peter Gargano (drums). The quartet maintains the vital energy of their previous incarnations but brings an even more focused punch to the arrangements that leaves greater room for Henderiks’ lyrics. Fans of the band will also have noticed the creative assent of Marshall who takes the vocal lead on multiple songs that have become defining features of the band’s recent live shows and which bring a fresh new viewpoint to the band’s ongoing sonic mission for a more equal and just world.
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