teenagersintokyo (who also write it as TEENAGERSINTOKYO) are one of the brightest up and coming bands in Australia. I caught up with Samantha from the band ahead of the release of double A-side, 'Isabella/Long Walk Home'...
So you’re not teenagers and you’re not from Tokyo, but....if someone could wave a magic wand over you and transport you to Tokyo as teenagers would you do it?
YES! We would totally do it. That would be so much fun! We could dress like all the amazing Harajuku kids that you see in FRUiTS Magazine as well as eat fresh Japanese food constantly. It would pretty much be a dream come true.
There seems to be an endless stream of talented bands coming out of Australia right now. Do you think it’s becoming harder to get noticed over there?
Actually, I think it’s great because it demonstrates that audiences are becoming more responsive to more younger and independent bands. It seems like in the last five years there have been more outlets for people to stream their demos or have them played on Australian radio and that people are excited to discover and support new local music. At the same time, I recently heard that some of the local venues in Sydney are facing being shut down. These are places that we as a band loved to play and used to frequent a lot as soon as we were legal enough to enter a pub, so it’s really sad that younger artists and audiences will miss out on these opportunities.
How have you found recording the album? Have there been any songs that have been particularly tricky to get down?
Overall it’s been an amazing experience. We bonded quickly with our producer David Kosten, on how to develop the songs from demos to album tracks as well as through our ridiculously crude senses of humour. Recording previously recorded tracks like `End it Tonight` has proven to be quite the challenge. As it was one of the earlier songs we ever wrote as a band, it’s been an interesting process trying to update it with a fresh approach but still maintaining the essence of the song.
What do you get up to when you have some time off? Anything outrageously exciting?
If you consider grocery shopping and doing laundry outrageously exciting then yes, we have a riot of time. Aside from that absolutely debaucherous activity, we like to enjoy the multitude of art galleries in London as the collections and exhibitions here are far more comprehensive than at home. We also don’t hate the idea of going out for a drink and a dance if the evening calls for it.
What was the last CD you bought, the last film you watched and the last book you read?
The last CD would be The xx album, which I’ve been enjoying. It’s really sweet and grows on me the more that I listen to it. The last book that I read was `The Beautiful Fall` by Alicia Drake, which chronicles the lives, loves and characters of Yves Saint Laurent and Karl Lagerfeld through the opulent 1970s French fashion scene. I found it quite fascinating as you get a really interesting insight into their careers and you also feel slightly hedonistic just reading it as you get a sense of living vicariously through them both.
Oddly the last movie I saw was Monster-in-law with Jane Fonda and Jennifer Lopez. It happened to be on TV the other night when we were having dinner and by the end of us finishing our meals, Linda and I were hooked. It’s a pretty decent Hollywood rom-com script, but the dynamic between Jane Fonda and Wanda Sykes makes it worthwhile. Also, I realised about 5 minutes in that J.Lo is like the grown up version on Hilary Duff in terms of acting mannerisms and speech phrasing. It’s uncanny.
Apart from recording your album, what’s been your highlight of the last year?
Probably moving to London and discovering where to get a decent soy latte. Nude Espresso in Spitalfields if you’re keen. Also high on the list is meeting our Manager, Sulinna. She’s the best.
A few stereotypical Aussie questions (sorry):
Beach or BBQ? BBQ. I can’t stay under the strong Australian sun for too long. I’m weak, I can’t take the heat!
Kangaroo’s or Koala’s? Koala’s are cuter and less aggressive.
Can any of you make a boomerang come back? I managed once but then made the mistake of trying to catch it....
Ha! Last year when we were touring here, we gifted Chris from our label a novelty boomerang. We went to the park to demonstrate our skills but failed miserably.
What’s your favourite part of Sydney?
I was going to write about this really beautiful heritage park/beach called Nielson Park, but I honestly have to say the food, specifically the dumplings in Chinatown. We often sit around and list off all the places we miss and Noodle King in Chinatown is always one of the first. I can’t even think about it anymore without crying. And don’t get me started about the four-cheese melt at Single Origin…
What can we expect from the album and what do you think is the best song on it?
I guess you can expect to be surprised? It’s not quite finished, there are a few more tweaks we want to make, so I don’t really know what to expect people to expect just yet. As of this moment my favourite track is `Long Walk Home`, but this is always changing as I love all the tracks equally. It’s hard to choose a favourite, they are like our kids!
Imagine its early 2010, you’ve just had a successful album launch....what comes next?
Hopefully we’ll be touring for as long as we can and as far and wide as audiences will want us. Also having a bunch of new tracks in the incubator ready for album two. And it would be nice to go home at some point to see family and friends.
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