With “Open Tryouts” out now, we took some time to hear from teenweek. Read below to learn more about teenweek, the story behind “Open Tryouts,” and what’s to come.
Hi! Let’s start with how did the band’s name come about?
Hi! We found the name in an actual dream: Phil was dreaming about being an instructor at a college in the US during orientation week – which was called “teenweek” in this dream – and he started a band with another instructor which broke up right before making it in the business. When he woke up, Phil wrote down the name and promised himself he would not repeat this mistake if the chance to achieve something big arose in real life.
What city are you all from, and where are you all based now?
We’ve all been living in Berlin for ages now. Rod is originally from Mexico City, Phil and Indra are Germans.
How and when did the band form?
It took quite some time from Rod and Phil’s first meeting until the band finally started playing live, but the two have been friends since 23, and the band rose from their friendship and a number of ensuing sessions at Castalian Spring in Berlin.
How would you all describe your band’s sound?
We would say it’s actually very broad within the genre of indie-rock. Sometimes we have synth textures and more dreamy melodies, sometimes the guitars bite and the beat is hard – we like to think we cover the indie ground from Beach House to Arctic Monkeys and everything in between.
Who are some of your group’s main musical influences?
The first songs we ever played had been existing since Phil saw Hippo Campus play at Privatclub Berlin in 2019 – this made something click in his head and he discovered the vibier side of indie for himself. Other songs are more inspired by classic 2000s indie bands such as The Strokes and Franz Ferdinand. And currently we’re trying to get a bit edgier like, among others The Libertines.
What’s one of the proudest moments of your band’s music career so far?
Honestly, the proudest moments are when we have written a new song and played it a couple of times, and then we look at each other and think: “Wow, that one is really ours?!” Everything that’s linked to “career” or “success” is too determined by external forces to be really proud of anything, we feel.
What would you all say are the greatest lessons that you all have learned so far?
The one we just mentioned: Success is always dependent on external forces. You can be the best band in the world and there’s still a chance nobody will ever know you. Jeff Tweedy of Wilco put it the best way possible in the song, “The Late Greats,” where he sings: “The best band will never get signed.” So, as a consequence, you have to be happy with yourself and with what you’re doing! Enjoy the music, enjoy the friendship, enjoy the ride – wherever it may take us (we know that life won’t break us…sorry, haha! :D)
Now onto “Open Tryouts.” What inspired this song? What is “Open Tryouts” about?
“Open Tryouts,” as the name suggests, is a reflection on success in life and how our view on success is shaped by other people, such as our parents, our coaches, our teachers, our friends and lovers – you name it. Often, we’re lead to believe we have to something we don’t even want or that isn’t even good for us, just because someone with a big influence on us has planted the idea in our head. Sports is a great metaphor for that: Think, for example, of all the dads who didn’t quite make it in pro sports and then devoted their whole lives to push their kids to become pro athletes in their place – there you have it. And it’s the same everywhere.
What was the inspiration behind the cover artwork for “Open Tryouts?”
The ghosts of our high school years, with all their teenage angst, insecurities and expectations, can follow us well into adulthood. The things we were told about who we should be, what we should achieve and how we should fit in can leave a mark on us long after those formative years are over. Sometimes, we carry these expectations without even realizing it, allowing them to shape the way we see ourselves and the choices we make. But perhaps these ghosts only have as much power over us as we allow them to. Growing up also means learning to let go, questioning the expectations we inherited from others and finding the courage to define success on our own terms.
What was the creative process like when making “Open Tryouts?”
“Open Tryouts” was actually one of the songs that came together basically on their own. we have no idea where the title and the idea for the lyrics came from. Phil had been playing around with chords and melody bits one day, and at some point the lead-synth-riff just popped up in his head. The funny bit was that this happened while he was on his bike, running an errand, so he had to sing the riff about 100 times on the ride home, so he wouldn’t forget before he could get back to the synth. Soon afterwards, the first two lines: “You’ll be a tight-end, here’s your assignment: Go put an end to all this constant disappearing” just wanted to be written – we don’t have any other explanation. The same goes for the long outro part – where did that come from? Crazy to think about it, but – again – we really do believe this song wanted to be written. We’re really happy it chose us as its parents!
How long did it take to complete “Open Tryouts?”
Do you mean the writing process? Or from the first idea to its release? The writing hadn’t taken that long, actually, but the finished song had been with us for quite some time before we were finally ready to show it to the world.
What do you all hope fans take away from “Open Tryouts” and your band’s music in general?
We wanna make people dance, feel something and think at the same time. So, we’re really hoping that people will enjoy the vibe, shake their legs and buttocks a little bit and sing along – and then reflect on whether they should start to break free from a negative influence themselves – or maybe even stop exercising an unhealthy influence on others, realizing what they’ve been doing was involuntarily bad for someone else.
What’s next? Are you all working on any upcoming projects, or do you all have any upcoming shows that we should be on the lookout for?
We’re actually mostly working on new releases at the moment because we want people to hear what we hear when we’re practicing or recording: a huge variety of songs that fit different moods and mindsets and carry a message we would like to get out – whether it’s worth hearing is up to you all! But we’ll start working on new live dates soon as well. We’re probably doing a bigger show in Berlin sometime soon, but nothing’s fixed yet.
Where can we follow you all on social media?
We’re most active on Instagram: https://instagram.com/teenweek.music
And, we also have a website: teenweekmusic.com, which we’re aiming to make our online headquarter because – let’s face it – being dependent on algorithms that don’t care one bit about newcomer bands with a slightly left-leaning political agenda is not a healthy option. For similar reasons, we have a Bandcamp account for everyone who does not support Spotify.
Before you all go, let’s ask an off-topic question. Favorite German word?
Agavendicksaft = agave syrup.
Thank you all for the great interview; wish you all much continued success!
