More than three decades after forming in San Francisco, Imperial Teen returns with All Over You, its first studio album since 2019.
In stores October 9 via Merge Records (
pre-order), lead single “Overdrive,” is available now, alongside its
official music video. It was written during a late-session burst of inspiration in Provincetown.
The alternative/indie pop band has also announced its first run of tour dates since 2020. They will join The Breeders at San Francisco’s Castro Theatre on August 22 and 23, followed by a run of headline shows in October spanning both coasts. Tickets for all shows are
on sale now.Each Imperial Teen record reflects what Roddy Bottum (guitars, keyboards, vocals) calls “an episodic piece of where we are now.” Openly gay members Bottum and Will Schwartz (vocals, guitars, keyboards), plus other original members Jone Stebbins (bass, vocals), and Lynn Truell (drums, vocals), live in different cities, but did periodic writing retreats followed by scattered recording sessions.
“For the last few records, the process has been similar. We live great distances away from each other, so initially, we get together to collaborate, write, and create. When we have enough material, we reconvene to record. Both scenarios, creating and recording, take multiple trips, sometimes with big lapses of time in between due to our various schedules.”
“Overdrive” came together in a single final take before Schwartz caught a ferry, its vocal captured in what Bottum - also a core member of Faith No More and author - recalls as a “magical” last-minute session. The title track was initially built over a computer, with Truell's letting out in a scream. “In my head,” Truell says, “I just went back to punk, to that feeling of prowling around looking for anything to do and being so mad about how boring everything is that you just have to yell.”
Lyrically, All Over You spans desire, disconnection, and the realities of making art under capitalism. “We want to make people dance and think and feel at the same time,” says Schwartz.
Track List:
1. Overdrive
2. Hands All Up
3. All Over You
4. A Single Chair
5. Get You Home
6. On the Island
7. Kiss It Goodbye
8. Probably So
9. Have a Shout
10. Bringing It Down
Tour Dates:
08.22 - San Francisco, CA @ The Castro Theatre *
08.23 - San Francisco, CA @ The Castro Theatre *
10.14 - Los Angeles, CA @ Zebulon +
10.15 - San Francisco, CA @ Bottom of the Hill +
10.17 - Seattle, WA @ Barboza +
10.18 - Portland, OR @ Swan Dive +
11.03 - Boston, MA @ The Lilypad
11.04 - Brooklyn, NY @ Baby's All Right
11.05 - Philadelphia, PA @ Nikki Lopez
11.07 - Durham, NC @ The Pinhook
* w/ The Breeders [SOLD OUT]
+ w/ Kids on a Crime Spree
George Paul
