TEEN started as a solo project for Teeny Lieberson has gone through plenty of evolutions, both in line up and in sound. In its most current form, Teeny has enlisted her two sisters Katherine (drums/vocals) and Lizzie (keys/vocals), and one from another mister, Jane Herships (bass/vocals) to expand on her kraut rock. Their Carolina EP delivered five tracks of mesmerizing psychedelic pop freak outs. We recently met at our editor’s HQ where they talked to me about influences, inspiration, panic attacks, and probable music video of the year winner “Carolina.”
Teeny: I think for me the R&B connection is more the singing. I feel like I’ve always been connected to strong voices and soulful voices. I think that happens the most in R&B––just really expressive. We also grew up with a lot of R&B.
All of you?
Jane: No.
What did you grow up listening to?
Jane: I don’t know, like bad folk. Classical music, Broadway musicals [laughs].
So R&B is a main vocal influence but what are the influences for the rest of you musically?
Teeny: We always loved rock & roll. I think it’s more of a psych rock I’m more attracted to that. I think everyone else too. Kate Bush! Really colorful music––music that is colorful and fantastic.
Like visual music?
Yeah. I think R&B delivers that also because it has so much quality and so much color.
I found it really interesting that a Radiolab episode inspired “Glass Cage.” Are any of your other songs inspired by podcasts or anything equally as random?
Teeny: No, that one is pretty specific.
Lizzie: What about “Huh?” Isn’t “Huh” like some weird––
Teeny: Oh “Huh!” I had just read The Road. So it’s apocalyptic, definitely was trying to get at that kind of “what if?” “what happens after?” Following the whole story of the father being capable but not capable and the son actually being the survivor. But I think those two stand out as far as weird stories, the other stuff that’s a little more personal.
More about panic attacks?
[laughs]Teeny: Panic attacks I need to start talking about. I have to! Maybe it will help me not have them.
Jane: Were you talking about panic attacks before I got here?
Teeny: I was saying last night I couldn’t go to sleep because I was having panic attacks.
Jane: Me too!
I don’t know … mercury is in retrograde.
Jane: Oh is that true?
Teeny: Apparently that’s when things go wrong right?
Yeah, well at least it’s nice to blame it on something else. So, in March I talked with another all-girl band. They were talking about how they’re always on the bill with just other girl bands, or bands led by girls. Is that true for you guys too? What do you make of that?
Lizzie: I think it is what it is.
Katherine: It makes sense on some level. You can see why people do that — why booking people would do that. But it kind of doesn’t matter. I don’t think it’s something particularly important to us.
Lizzie: Well so far it’s been really positive. The people we’ve played with, been on tour with, it’s been a really good match.
Teeny: But I noticed on the Hospitality tour, the opening band for us every night — for the two of us — was always female led. The music though, never made sense. Us and Hospitality made some sense. But the opening [band] just because there’s a woman doesn’t mean it’s gonna make sense.
Lizzie: Well don’t they say the reasoning behind it is that they think that people who go see female lead singers are going to respond to them in the same way, but I don’t know if that’s true. It just feels pretty narrow-minded.
Has being in an all-girl band helped or hindered you in any way?
Teeny: I don’t think it’s really either or for us. I just think it’s been what it is. I don’t want to think it’s either one. I definitely think we get more fashion offers, and fashion interests in general just because we’re all women. That’s the only difference I’ve noticed personally.
Is that flattering or does it get old?
Katherine: You don’t want that to become what you’re known for. We’re pretty discriminating about what we say yes or no to because we don’t want… we’re musicians, we’re not models. We want it to be about the music. But yeah, I mean it’s flattering, sure, and it’s exposure.
You describe the band’s sound as always evolving. Where would you consider your sound right now?
Teeny: Hmm. We don’t know yet! [laughs] I think we’re getting more and more like a straight — not straight, we’re never straight. But becoming more artistic rock band. I think we’re losing the dreamy landscapes that we have but I think that’s not becoming the main focus, whereas In Limbo was more dreamy and drone-y and repetitive; longer. I think we’re also becoming more of a band. So that’s been creating different conversations as far as the music is concerned. At least that’s where I think it’s going.
Lizzie: It’s a big step.
Teeny: It is a big step, yeah. I also feel like my songwriting is getting more intentionally twisted rather than in the beginning of this project, [when] I was into just keeping it really simple and raw.
Jane: Well on In Limbo we didn’t play yet.
Teeny: Right, you basically came with songs [already written].
Katherine: So we had to play live. We had to play together. We had other members so, I think that part of it is evolving. The music’s evolving as we evolve. Playing live changes the way we now play music, for me anyway.
Teeny: Yeah, change is how you want to express yourself too. Initially we were playing really mid-tempo or slow music and after touring a bunch now it’s like I don’t ever want to play a slow song! [laughs] I mean, you want to keep the energy up.
You recently played MoMA. How was it?
Teeny: It was great!
You had Megha Barnabas, the director of the video for “Carolina” and the co-director of “Electric” accompany you?
Lizzie: Yeah that was her performance piece by her.
How did you start working with her?
Teeny: The “Electric” video — we knew [co-director] Sam before that and they were a couple at the time. We got to know her and we also just fell in love with her and her taste. It just felt so natural as far as what we’re attracted to and the kind of aesthetic that she wanted to create. So we just kept in touch and then we were basically like, “Do you want to do a video?”
Something about that video (“Carolina”) is just so perfect for that song.
Teeny: Yeah I know. She’s a real gem.
Interview by Alex Martinez
Photos by Jenny Regan
