“It’s a bit foolish, isn’t it?” asks Teen Mortgage’s vocalist and guitarist James Guile. “This ‘concern of the Satan’ shit. He’s only a impolite little dude, man. He’s like Bart Simpson.”
Possibly, however the Washington, D.C. duo’s killer debut album Satan Ultrasonic Dream faucets into a spread of evils – every part from the fascist agenda and the army industrial complicated, to Satanic panic and being hungover at a crappy underpaid job. It’s additionally about “dwelling your passions”, and never letting “the powers that be get in the way in which of that”, shot via with an infectious, rebellious spirit.
The band shaped when James moved from the UK to America, and linked with drummer Ed Barakauskas via a Craigslist advert. The pair went on to carve out their id throughout the DMV space whereas juggling non-music associated work, releasing two EPs (2019’s LIFE / DEATH and 2021’s SMOKED), and wrangling with a pandemic, earlier than they finally received signed to Roadrunner in 2024.
James beforehand discovered employment in retail, whereas Ed has been a nurse and frontline ER employee. In that sense, they need this band to hold a sense of “we’re with you guys” for others grafting to remain afloat. Ed was nonetheless in healthcare when Teen Mortgage toured with Alkaline Trio, and frontman Matt Skiba (whose mom can be a nurse) handed on assist whereas the drummer labored late after reveals and barely slept.