Thirty years on from their debut album, “Seasick” (1996), Imperial Teen clearly still have the cheek and the hunger to make music they had on day one. The quartet of Roddy Bottum (Faith No More), Will Schwartz, Jone Stebbins and Lynn Truell are back with All Over You, their seventh studio album, out now on Merge Records. It arrives seven years after “Now We Are Timeless” (2019) and reflects a creative bond that has survived geographical distance, personal commitments and the sheer difficulty of holding a band together for three decades.
All Over You sticks to the blend of indie pop, power pop, new wave and 90s alternative rock that has always defined their sound, with added touches of funk, dance-rock and electronic textures. “Overdrive” opens the album with jittery guitars, a danceable, sexy beat and a hugely catchy chorus, while “Hands All Up” is pure power pop, bright and direct. The title track has a playful rhythm, a fuzzy bassline and a punk attitude that brings out the band’s most irreverent side. “A Single Chair” heads for the dance floor with a nod or two to disco, and “Get You Home” turns wistful, all alt-pop guitars and a more current indie sound. “Kiss It Goodbye” goes back to classic pop, with the guitar front and centre. One of my favourites is “Have a Shout”, with its superb bass riff, a guitar solo full of character and gorgeous vocal interplay. Because if one thing still sets Imperial Teen apart, it’s that mix of male and female voices, which makes their songs sound so fresh.
Beneath melodies that sound carefree, the lyrics deal with desire, relationships and time passing, but also with outside pressures: beauty standards, consumerism and how precarious it is to make a living from art. They do it with humour and irony, but there’s also an increasing focus on personal connections and the need to look after one another. It all leads to the wonderful “Bringing It Down”, which closes the album with melancholy guitars and a slow-building intensity that reminded me a lot of The Soundtrack of Our Lives at their most melodic. It’s a song about the years going by, the challenges life throws our way and the determination to carry on, and it makes for a particularly moving ending.
Some structures may repeat from one track to the next, and the odd song may run a little long, but All Over You is a very good album, full of great melodies, personality and vitality. Imperial Teen have more than proved they can get through the hard times with patience, understanding and, above all, a real desire to make music together. After hearing this album, I just hope they keep doing it for many years to come.
Enjoy All Over You in full here.
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