Perth band Teen Angst makes bite-sized songs with big hearts. Their latest music video for “Dental Hygiene” turns a daily routine into an ode to love and friendship. With the release of their fab music video, band members Michelle Yeong and Connor Patmore answered a few Qs about meeting as mates through Tinder and drinking mouthwash.
Teen Angst do a magical thing with the mundane. It’s a hard task since the trope of “every day” is so familiar in the sound of Australiana. This is thanks to the prolific lo-fi likes of The Go-Betweens in the ’80s to Courtney Barnett today. Teen Angst continues to carry the jangly torch of introverted pop music with sincere verses to the little things they love.
What stands out with the four-piece group though, is their bright enthusiasm for falling, failing and learning. Omitted is the cold blue filter to reality and instead, they opt for a multi-hued lens of pop culture and anecdotes. Illustratively, “Dental Hygiene” delivers endearing detail of time spent with a significant other. Likewise, the music video shows affection for their absent bassist, who is currently overseas studying, with cheers of mouthwash shots. The song captures a spirit of self-assurance mixed in with a healthy dose of shyness and social skepticism.
Steering away from cynicism was something that singer and guitarist Michelle Yeong developed over five years writing music. In “Dental Hygiene”, her lyrics declare “I know that I lead a real sedentary life / Though I’m not so vitriolic anymore”. The importance of this outlook is also highlighted in the band’s latest EP title Not So Vitriolic. Yeong says she writes songs about isolation and unrequited love while drawing strength from them in reflection. “I no longer view these things through a cynical lens, but more of a nostalgic and a “hey I learnt something from this experience” sort of way,” she says.
Q. How did Teen Angst meet?
Michelle: Short answer, Tinder. But to elaborate, Teen Angst was initially a solo bedroom project that expanded after being offered our first gig back in 2016. A mate of mine introduced me to Fraser, who she had matched with on Tinder. On his profile, there was a photo of him sitting in front of a drum kit and luckily enough it turned out to be legit. So I asked him to play the drums for Teen Angst. Fraser then introduced me to his brother Connor. He blew us away with his mad guitar skills so he had to join our band. We performed as a three-piece for about a year before we finally decided to find a bassist (we thought no one would notice). We saw Emilie play in her band Low Maintenance, and thought she was real cool. So we asked her if she could make Teen Angst look as cool.
Q. The band’s sound leans into the ’90s aesthetic, what ’90s bands or artists do you love listening to?
Michelle: Ooh, this is a huge question here. There were a lot of great genres and artists from this period, so I’m just going to pick one specific genre that I love. I’m a huge fan of 90’s pop bangers, from Sixpence None The Richer’s “Kiss Me,” Natalie Imbruglia’s “Torn,” TLC’s “No Scrubs,” and all the way to the Dawson’s Creek theme song “I Don’t Want To Wait.” Ultimately, watching Buffy The Vampire Slayer has also been my biggest ’90s influence and aesthetic. It’s great.
Connor: For me I’d have to say The Pixies album Doolittle, the entire Radio X station from Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, and that Lollapalooza Simpsons episode are high on my list. You might notice that these aren’t actually bands, but they’re my main ’90s influences. Unfortunately my favourite ’90s bands, Dinosaur Jr and Sonic Youth, technically released the stuff I like the most in the ’80s but I don’t want the cool kids to think I’m a poser by listing them here.
Q. Describe “Dental Hygiene” in 3 words.
Connor: Always be flossing.
Q. The lyrics to “Dental Hygiene” mentions that you’re not so vitriolic anymore, is this a theme that’s important to you?
Michelle: Definitely. When I first started up the project (five-ish years ago) I wrote and recorded all of the songs alone locked away in my bedroom (real angsty I know), where a majority of these songs were about isolation and unrequited love. Fast forward to now, these are still things I do write about – but I no longer view these things through a cynical lens, but more of a nostalgic and a “hey I learnt something from this experience” sort of way (woo). And so the line “not so vitriolic anymore” is the perfect expression for where the band and myself currently sit and is an excellent description of the EP, which is also conveniently titled Not So Vitriolic.
Q. At the end of the “Dental Hygiene” music video, you guys take shots of mouthwash! Did you really drink mouthwash?
“I distinctly remember this mouthwash burning my gums though.”
Michelle: I don’t know if this is a massive spoiler, but unfortunately no (laughs). I mean, I’ve heard of people getting drunk off of mouthwash, but nah, we were too scared to try it. I distinctly remember this mouthwash burning my gums though.
Q. “Dental Hygiene” music video also features bassist Emilie Monty in lieu by a framed photo. What’s band life been like without her and when is she returning?
Michelle: It’s been strange with her gone. Strange because whenever we do shows, Emilie normally finds the nearest couch and will nap on that couch. So it’s strange to do a show and not find her asleep on a couch nearby. We sincerely miss her though and hope to find her back on a couch in July!
Q. What’s next on the horizon for Teen Angst?
Michelle: At the moment it’s actually just me and Connor who are currently in Perth, Fraser also just left to go on a European tour! So the two of us have been finishing off a few new tracks and recording demos for them, which we hope to record properly when everyone is back from Europe.
Give all your love to Teen Angst by buying their music on Bandcamp and following them on Instagram and Facebook.