Nearly two decades since their short-lived but genre-blurring debut, cult-favourite art-rock outfit Teenager may finally be stepping back into the spotlight.
The news comes via an Instagram post that appeared on the band’s official account today, seemingly penned by founding member Nick Littlemore (PNAU, Empire of the Sun). “Been out of the game for a while… but we’re coming back with new music sooner than you think 👀” the post reads, sending longtime fans into a nostalgic spiral.
He went on to thank a familiar creative circle: “@ladyhawkeforyou and timberyardrecords – Australia’s finest underground label champion of the junkie. Couldn’t have done it without @toddwagstaff @andrewklippel or without some absolutely amazing collaborations.”
It’s the strongest indication yet that Teenager—a band born from the sonic minds of Littlemore and Phillipa “Pip” Brown (better known these days as Ladyhawke)—are finally reviving their brief but bold legacy.
Formed in 2004 as Littlemore’s art-rock-leaning side project to PNAU, Teenager was a chaotic blend of dance-punk attitude, experimental pop production, and snarling indie energy.
Their 2006 debut album Thirteen featured an eclectic cast of contributors, including Sonic Youth’s Lee Ranaldo and Steve Shelley, The Presets’ Kim Moyes, and even Luke Steele of Sleepy Jackson, who would later reunite with Littlemore in Empire of the Sun.
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Guitarist Rowland S. Howard and PNAU bandmate Peter Mayes also left their fingerprints on the record.
But despite that dream lineup, Teenager was short-lived. By 2007, Brown had left to launch her solo career as Ladyhawke, and Littlemore returned to PNAU and began laying the groundwork for Empire of the Sun.
Still, their single “Pony” made enough noise to be picked up for the Grand Theft Auto IV soundtrack, and their one and only album remains a treasured relic of the mid-2000s indie-sleaze era.
Rumblings of a potential revival first surfaced in a 2023 Double J interview with Brown, where she revealed she and Littlemore had quietly written and recorded around 20 tracks years ago: sessions that never saw the light of day. “Me and Nick are really close, we’ve been talking about it, hatching a plan for the material,” she said at the time. “Split it into two: half as a Ladyhawke EP and the other half could be some new Teenager. So, we’ll see.”
Today’s Instagram post suggests that those plans may finally be coming to fruition… Possibly with the help of Timberyard Records, the indie label that first released Teenager’s material back in 2006.
Exactly what form this comeback will take—whether a single, EP, or full album—is still unknown.
But for fans of spiky guitars, sleazy synths and dancefloor disobedience, it’s more than enough to stir excitement.
