Adelaide duo Teenage Joans mix a hard edge guitar drive with scaling choruses and exuberant melodies in their single ‘Wine’. Steeped in an unashamed Australian accent expressed through vocals that range from emotive, whiskey-soaked rawness to celestial heights, ‘Wine’ is a satisfying mix of grunge and sixties pop sensibilities with lyrics that reflect youth and a self-deprecatory sense of humour:
If you’re tired then pretend to sleep
A cemetery on a dead end street
You’re the reason I sigh
‘Cause you aged like wine
And I still haven’t aged to like wine
Pop full of attitude and swagger. The song comes off the band’s EP ‘Taste of Me’ released following the band’s discovery through the Triple J Unearthed High competition – a competition run by the national youth radio seeking new musical talent at high schools around Australia. The accompanying video, directed and filmed by Jack Bielby and Thomas Schaefer, expresses the vibrant personalities of the band complete with hidden messages:
Since Wine is the closing track to the EP, and our favourite song off Taste Of Me, we wanted to showcase the whole EP through different aesthetics. The scene where we are chasing an ice cream truck represents ‘Ice Cream’. Chasing the truck was our way of showcasing the song’s meaning of trying to keep up when life moves too fast. The table scene in the beginning has an apple pie on it (‘Apple Pie)’, The therapist’s office is ‘Therapist’. We played nonchalantly in the scenes, showcasing each song’s metaphor of not listening when people tell you to change. Finally, the hall scene represents ‘Wine’. We played in an empty room post-party, trying to showcase the song’s meaning of when things come to a bittersweet end.
The result is something very dynamic and satisfyingly hyperactive:
You can stream the EP here and catch the band on tour (COVID willing) – details below and tickets available here.
Teenage Joans are Tahlia Borg and Cahli Baker.
