I think the greatest thing an artist can do is embrace whatever has come before while pushing the dialogue forward. By adding an experimental element - an unconventional medium, technique, perspective, or tool - one can create something that stands out... something special.
Here we have something special. Within the first minute of the first track, you will understand why. Twisted Teens offer something immediately familiar, a kind of lo-fi, late-70s punk not entirely dissimilar to what you'll hear coming out of Australia these days. First, you'll note the vocalist, credited as Cas P. ian, sings with an appealing tuneful grit: a campfire ballad with a leather throat.... like Tom Waits meets David Bazan. But you'll also notice that the musty basement crunch of the opening track is balanced by something luminous - the glassy sheen of the pedal steel guitar provided by RJ Santos. And so, it is only fitting that it is Cas P. ian and RJ Santos on the cover of this, the band's first release.
These 11 tracks are more than the sum of their parts, however. This is more than just "punk rock with a pedal steel" gimmick. There is clear history behind this songwriting and delivery, one that hints heavily at years of experience. Since 2004, singer Cas P. ian fronted Blackbird Raum, a well-known anarcho-folk punk band from California. The drummer from that group, Magnus Nymo, is also credited on the Twisted Teens record. Originally from Norway, Magnus also played in drums in a Norwegian black metal band called Forcefed Horsehead. RJ Santos, who is clearly an adept pedal steel player, has more of an online presence devoted to being a talented painter.
While the music on Twisted Teens varies from punk to country to classic rock, folk, and 90s indie rock, I don't pick up on that anarcho-folk punk element here (and certainly no black metal). In that way, Twisted Teens isn’t a reinvention of any genre... but it’s a reminder that familiar ingredients can still taste surprising in the right hands.
