Imperial Teen don’t really do comebacks — they just occasionally remember the rest of us exist. “It’s not really a comeback,” they laugh, huddled together at South by Southwest 2012. “That’s just the best we could do — get another record out.” It’s a fittingly no-fuss explanation for a band that’s made ‘low-key legendary’ their brand since the Jawbreaker soundtrack made “Yoo Hoo” an indie-pop staple.
At SXSW, they’re the cool kids with alumni status — godparents of the 90s alt scene who still seem surprised that newer bands might actually see them as influences. “It’s flattering,” they shrug. “But I think we’re so unique we just have our own thing that’s untouchable.”
They’re also refreshingly unbothered about the state of indie rock. No think pieces about algorithmic doom here — just genuine delight that the weirdos still get to win. “It surprises me what flies out there. It’s exciting that weird bands get applauded,” they say, praising everyone from Sleigh Bells to the White Stripes for keeping it strange. “When we liked little punk bands growing up, they’d never be popular. Now they rise to the top — it’s fantastic.”
Behind Feel the Sound — their fifth album — they admit the indie-pop craftsmanship didn’t come easy. “We don’t live in the same town, we don’t live in the same state — we’ve got kids, we’ve got dogs,” they rattle off. “So when we get together, it has to be worth it. We’re not gonna do two steps forward, one step back.” You get the sense they’d rather not bother if it weren’t meticulously hooky.
Except they’d never call them hooks — that feels too calculated. “I can’t imagine the pressure of trying to write a hook,” they say, borderline horrified. “We just sing and play off each other — it happens naturally. It’s not controversial. It’s just what we do.”
As for being lifers, they’ve accepted the balancing act. Touring is weekends and long shots now — no endless van runs — and the band sits in the same mental folder as their businesses, their families, and someone’s 13-year-old poodle named Sophie. “When we’re together, that’s it — nobody gets to come in. We’re in this compartment together,” they grin.
It’s probably why the music still sounds so joyfully immediate. They live in the moment, write in the moment, and if the result makes you want to spin around your living room with your arms out like it’s 1999 — well, that’s just Imperial Teen doing what they do best.
Listen to the interview above and then check out the videos below.
