Mistletone

Photo by Shawn Brackbill

Mistletone warmly welcomes TEEN to our family. Their new album In Limbo is out now on Mistletone / Inertia. TEEN features Teeny Lieberson, formerly of Here We Go Magic. Check out Better from the album on the Mistletone Soundcloud.

In all ways, TEEN is a mix of beauty and grit. Raw songwriting meets droning keyboards and guitar, primal drumming, and swirling vocals to produce atmospheric, haunting songs set in genre-defying arrangements. Bringing together a multitude of influences in unexpected ways,TEEN is at once nostalgic and refreshingly original.

TEEN came together when Brooklyn’s Teeny Lieberson, formerly of Here We Go Magic, left her post in the latter band in order to make music with her sisters Katherine and Lizzie and their longtime friend Jane Herships. Forgoing girl-group gimmickry and fervor, the band’s digital-only debut EP Little Doods fleshed out a sound of languid, lo-fi psyche pop redolent of Paisley Underground bands like Opal and Rain Parade. Since releasing the EP in April 2011, they have steadily honed their sound around New York and readied their first long-player, In Limbo.

Recorded during the summer of 2011 in a converted barn in rural Connecticut, In Limbo puts pop and tribal elements to the fore. Opener “Better” is a Suicide-esque march toward euphoria through repetition. “Sleep in Noise” comes on like a neo-psychedelic tribal stomp with a Spector-esque drive, while “Unable,” an all-but-shapeless mass of organ swells and tremolo synths provides a loose structure for their transcendent vocal acrobatics. The density and layers of the band’s morphing keyboards, driving synths and jungle drums let their finely arranged vocals sit gloriously on top, each member’s contribution shining through.

In Limbo was mixed and produced in collaboration with Sonic Boom (Spacemen 3, Spectrum). His influence & guidance is subtly evident throughout, adding sympathetic undertones and ambience to the band’s well defined and inspiring songs.

 
Video for Electric (below) directed by Sam Fleischner (award winning LA filmmaker who’s made clips for Panda Bear, MGMT and Santigold, among others) and choreographer/dance performance/dance artist Megha Barnabas.

Video for Better (below) shot in and around NYC summertime, directed by TEEN & friends, edited by Janis Vogel.