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Teenage Halloween
artist bio
Stand by your friends that are hurting.
That’s what New Jersey power punks 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 wellbeing. The
results are potent punk vistas that document young queer life at the edge of
America.
At the heart
of vocalist and guitarist Luk Henderiks’ lyrics is an urgent longing for
community. Despite their often strikingly 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
Sterogum hailed them on their 40 Best New
Bands Of 2020. 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 over 140 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 (due for Oct 20th release via Don Giovanni) 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.