GOOD THINGS come, not to those who wait, but those who work hard for it. After years slogging it out on the internet, and releasing music through Bandcamp, 23-year-old Will Toledo is finally getting wider recognition.
Teens Of Denial may be the 23-year-old's 13th album, but it is his second on Matador - the first was the reworked material compilation Teens Of Style - and his first to be recorded in a proper studio with a full band, and producer.
With a higher profile, and greater chance of exposure, his already solid online following should expand greatly as Teens Of Denial is the kind of indie rock album that speaks of 20 something lives, frustrations, and confusions, but displays musical values cherished by 90s veterans.
Think a heavier Beck, a slower, sludgier Dinosaur Jr, and a liking for Steven Malkmus style quirks, ally it to pulverisingly heavy riff-rock, chord changes that scream it's the mid-1990s all over again, a strong ability to create off-beat melodies, and shout out loud choruses, and you have Teens Of Denial.
While there is a tendency to drag out some songs longer than needed, this is very forgivable after listening to songs like 'Fill In The Blank', '1937 State Park', '(Joe Gets Kicked Out of School for Using ) Drugs With Friends (But Says This Isn't a Problem )', and 'Destroyed By Hippie Powers'. Teens Of Denial is American indie rock par excellence and a serious contender for album of the year.
