TEEN

The Carleton, Halifax NS, October 22

BY Vish KhannaPublished Oct 23, 2014

9
This rather remarkable New York quartet was all over the place, in the best way. Teeny Lieberson (formerly of Here We Go Magic) seemed a bit pensive leading her band through clever, eclectic pop music that had tinges of psychedelia powering it. She seemed engrossed by the task at hand, which is understandable given every song's dynamic arrangement.

The rhythm section was fantastic, a hybrid electro/acoustic drum kit infusing every song with surprising textures, while the bass parts were rubbery and hypnotic. The synth and keys were integral, creating walls of sound or, where required, subtle stabs and fucked up tones. Lieberson was in the middle, and she played guitar wonderfully, bolstering a song with chords or else laying down riffy licks.

It was all the more remarkable given that the band had all of their gear stolen a week and a half ago in San Francisco. Lieberson got emotional just talking about it towards the end of their stirring set. Maybe her sternness was lingering resentment at the assholes who put her band in this position. Whatever the case, TEEN were focused, playing some innovative form of pop music that no one has heard before.

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