PRO TEENS’ self-titled album is exactly what I imagine a Radiohead cover of Weezer’s 1994 album would be like: retro pop with an angsty twist.
Officially released Oct.3, “PRO TEENS” is the Phoenix band’s full-length debut — and it’s addictive from the start.
Commencing the album, “Control” is an immediate rabbit hole into the trippy expanse of PRO TEENS wonderland. The song is far from the mainstream, and its embracement of that fact was the hook that drew me in. The chorus is enunciated with deliberate variations in notes. The music shouldn’t fit together, and yet it does.
Perhaps the song speaks to me because my name is repeated throughout its chorus (“Emily, I need to learn some control”), but one thing is clear: the band knew how they wanted to deliver with the song and did exactly that. Ironically, a song about a lack of control is one of the best examples of musical control in the album.
The album continues with my new PRO TEENS favorite: “One of These Days.” It’s reminiscent of Cage the Elephant, but with an extra layer of retro vibe to suit the PRO TEENS style. Vocalist Andy Phipps takes on contradicting tones, appeasing and daring the audience, providing an irresistible challenge to keep listening. When I call the album addicting, this song is the prime example of why. It’s almost concerning how much I replayed this track.
The only major downfall of the album was “Gjeez, Kjinny.” The song starts off slow, with overly drawn-out vocals. Though the music does a great job of picking up, the vocals fail to do so, creating an unsatisfying imbalance between ten wonderfully arranged songs.
PRO TEENS also falls short in the lyrics department with “This Cop Is God,” but at least they don’t claim to be wordsmiths. The song is able to make up for its repetition with personality and a catchy beat.
“Mona” digs into a darker side of the band. Though the song is a step less haunting than later track “I Wanna Die,” it still feels ghostly. The chorus’s chilling, yet meaningful tone reminds me of John Lennon’s “I Don’t Want to be a Soldier.” It’s not classically beautiful, but it’s a striking arrangement all the same.
The self-titled album ends with the fantastic, notable “Randal Can’t Handle.” The song is a master compilation of surf pop melodies, vocal outbursts and musical consistency. As Phipps’ voice reaches out to stimulate his audience’s aural senses, his vocal prowess is almost tangible. Meanings and lyrics aside, the song is worthy of placement inside a mixtape for your biggest crush.
“Randal Can’t Handle” is, to put it simply, fun.
While the album fails to revive the Beatles-esque tunes of “Teen Feels” (in my opinion, the king of all pre-“PRO TEENS” tracks), its music is certainly more defining. Something clicked. This time around, the songs flowed and meshed together to create a distinct, united and beautifully odd identity for the local group.
Listening to “PRO TEENS” is the symbolic representation of a light rail ride. It moves, it takes you places and even its rough and unclean edges become charming after a while. But most of all, once you get on, you can’t get off until it stops — and I highly suggest that everyone get on.
Contact the columnist at Emily.Liu@asu.edu.
