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Photo Credit: Giulia McGauran

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“The Adelaide-based duo have exceeded my expectations with this release. Their ability to delve into personal topics while keeping the tracks light and fun adds depths of contrast to the music as they draw influence from a variety of different sources.” – Wall Of Sound, 8/10 stars

“This album is enjoyable in every way possible. Vocally, such passion and style. Musically it’s crisp, sharp and outstanding. Teenage Joan’s have delivered a descriptive , both musically and lyrically, storytelling masterpiece of a debut album.” – HiFi Way

“With fistfuls of pop and punk fillings beneath a sweet and salient outer shell, The Rot That Grows Inside My Chest is Teenage Joans armed ready to take on the world.” – The Soundcheck

“The Rot That Grows Inside My Chest has an intoxicating theme of sweetness and rot, and the way a relationship can metastasize from something good to something decaying. Clever lyrics create a narrative that is followed throughout the album, as we headbang along to their pop-punk deliciousness.” – Good Call Live

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“The Rot That Grows Inside My Chest” is years in the making. Following the award winning success of “Taste of Me”, Blakers and Borg has taken their time to land a blistering kick of a comeback with new music.  It has been time well spent. Like fine wine, that gets sweeter and more fragrant with age their debut album has some of the snazziest hooks, chaotic breakdowns and yearnful lyrics heard this year.

Both pretty and grotesque, the album art with its feminine style yet decaying motifs, perfectly illustrates a lesson I should have learnt from my mother. I once brought home a toffee apple from Kindy. My mother swiftly took it from my hands, chopped off the dripping caramel top, skinned it and gave me the plain apple pieces to eat.  She said only bad apples are used to make toffee apples. The sugar hides the rot.

The ominous piano of “Hospital Bed” tolls like death’s bells, before the sound of pounding guitars grips you by the shirt front and hurls you into pop punk anthem “Honey (And Other Sweet Things)”. This duality of sound and emotion will be a recurrent theme throughout the album.

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Dark and witty lyrics that poke fun at being deplorably self-destructive, whilst lusting after all the wrong people is so heartbreakingly relatable. “Superglue” is upbeat and possesses the sweet charm associated with Teenage Joans, however lyrics “my hands aren’t worth holding on to” and “I’m tired so i sit” illustrates the point in a relationship, when it starts spiralling in all the wrong directions. Then hammer it home with follow up “Yoke” where, your toxic but super cute unrequited lover can “suck the life out of you” like a mosquito because “your blood is sweet”. Two home runs to the emo kids.

Like many, I fell in love with a candy apple. Through poignant storytelling and swinging melodies, the track “Candy Apple ” perfectly sounds off the roller coaster of a sugar high, and heartache when the sugar drains from the system. Sink your teeth into devastating lines like “were you just pretending” and “I sit for breakfast, but I eat my heartache”. All whilst being serenaded by a swaying psychedelic guitar riff and pleasant vocals from Blakers, that morphs into an intense fireball by the second chorus.

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Commendable is the wave of emotions that Teenage Joans has captured through raw vocals and multi-instrumental layering. Especially heard in “Ruby Doomsday” with gritty guitars under swelling strings and raw vocals. Indemnify yourself on the line “your hands are the only ones I want wrapped around my neck”. Yep, nothing like giving it all, for someone who doesn’t deserve it.  Give it all, Teenage Joans does in the blistering bridge through punchy accents, short phrasing, and a delectable harmony.

During the turmoil, it’s important to brush ourselves off. “You’re Not The President” is defiant, cheeky and a great track to dance to whilst poking your tongue out. A sure crowd mover with its explosive guitar solo that is melodic goodness. Listen to grungy “Tennis Skirt” to pump yourself up, and if the power chords hadn’t got your head banging yet, the oscillating, grainy guitar runs before the last chorus will. No more “getting slept on”, no more “getting bled on”, they’re “not worth all of this trying”.

Pre-released single “5 Things I Can Taste” will be a sure crowd sing along favourite. It is so enjoyable to listen and sing along, no scream along to. Borg’s drumming is crispy clean and the tight rhythm is superbly soothing. Another predicted live favourite will be “moneymoneymoney” with its floating, slightly twangy guitar. The band reveals that the sound is from “Borg’s beaten-up, nylon-stringed acoustic guitar” which is full of character. It will be a treat to hear this live with eerie violins and sonorous saxophones rounding up the stage. Guaranteed chills, I can feel it.

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Instrumental levels on all tracks of the album are superb. A super well thought out album that is a joy to listen to and will translate well to live performance. The album is diverse in genre, there’s some pop punk, grunge, modern pop and soft indie pop. Both old fans and new listeners will gravitate to at least a handful of tracks. They really are that endearing and catchy.

Closing track “Kaleidoscopes” finishes the album off beautifully. Opening with soft guitar strums, both Borg and Blakers serenade listeners with soft vocals. One voice sparkling and high, the other a rich bass. Slowly the volume and tempo increase, with the addition of bowed strings until a flurry of sound. Like running, tripping through vines and branches, the song’s intensity peaks as you escape past their clawing hands. “You were everything that I could have wanted” is in the past tense. The candy apple is completely rotten, decomposed, and inedible.

In the final bars of “Kaleidoscopes” you hear a single piano note, same as in the opening track “Hospital Bed”. There are now many new apples growing on the tree. Some will become candy apples.

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‘THE ROT THAT GROWS INSIDE MY CHEST’ – OUT NOW
HERE

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THE ROT THAT GROWS
INSIDE MY CHEST
Track Listing

Hospital Bed
Honey (And Other Sweet Things)
Superglue
Yoke
Candy Apple
You’re Not The President
Sweet Things Rot
Ruby Doomsday
My Dentist Hates Me!!!
Moneymoneymoney
Tennis Skirt
5 Things I Can Taste
Kaleidoscopes

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TEENAGE JOANS
UPCOMING 2023 SHOWS

 triple j presents

Follow TEENAGE JOANS
Website – Instagram – Facebook – Twitter

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Press Release 18th October 2023 (below) HERE

TEENAGE JOANS
debut album
THE ROT THAT GROWS
INSIDE MY CHEST
out now

+ TOURING NATIONALLY THIS NOVEMBER

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AMNPLIFY – DB