Teenage Joans are an Australian indie rock and punk rock duo from Adelaide, South Australia, who formed in 2018. The duo consists of vocalist and drummer Tahlia Borg and vocalist and guitarist Cahli Blakers.
The duo rose to prominence with their debut single "By the Way". Their second single, "Three Leaf Clover", was released in March 2020 and became the winning song of Triple J's 2020 Unearthed High competition. Their debut extended play, Taste of Me, was released on 28 May 2021. They released their debut studio album, The Rot That Grows Inside My Chest, in October 2023, and an accompanying short film in 2024.
The duo have been the recipients of multiple awards, winning South Australian Live Act of the Year at the 2019 National Live Music Awards, and six awards at the 2021 South Australian Music Awards, including Best Group, Best New Artist, Best Punk Artist, Best Release (for Taste of Me), Best Cover Art and Best Song (for "Something About Being Sixteen").
Career
2018–2020: Formation and "By the Way"
The pair met in 2018 when introduced by a mutual friend at Northern Sound Systems when Blakers was searching for a band-mate. At the time of their music releasing, Borg attended Gleeson College, making the band eligible for the Unearthed High competition, which they went on to win. They performed at Laneway Festival and A Day of Clarity in 2019.[1]
2021–2022: Taste of Me
On 14 January 2021, Teenage Joans released "Something About Being Sixteen", the lead single from their debut extended play.[2] On 26 March, the duo released the single "Ice Cream", and announced their forthcoming debut EP, Taste of Me.[3] On 27 May, they released the single "Wine".[4]Taste of Me was released on 28 May 2021.[3]Taste of Me received positive reviews, and was included in Australian music publication The Music's mid-year list of their top 25 albums of the year to date.[5] On 19 November, the duo were announced as the recipients of seven awards at the 2021 South Australian Music Awards.[6] On 6 March 2022, the duo were announced to support Foo Fighters alongside the Chats on the Australian leg of their upcoming tour,[7] before all tour dates were cancelled following the death of Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins.[8] On 29 April, they release the single "Terrible" and announced that they had signed to record labelDomestic La La, run by James Tidswell of Violent Soho.[9]
2023–present: The Rot That Grows Inside My Chest
On 2 May 2023, Teenage Joans returned with their first new song since early 2022. "Superglue" was released alongside a music video,[10] followed by "Candy Apple" on 10 August 2023.[11] That same day, the band announced their debut studio album, The Rot That Grows Inside My Chest, would be releasing on 13 October 2023 as their first album release with Domestic La La.[11]
In 2024, the band released their debut short film, a visual accompaniment for The Rot That Grows Inside My Chest. It was directed by Jamie Al Kayyali and stars the duo playing fictionalised versions of themselves. They held premiere screenings in Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide.[12]
Teenage Joans say their lyrics "feel nostalgic and feel like [something] you could consume as a young person, but also have a heavier kind of meaning that people can relate to,"[16] with frontwoman and guitarist Cahli Blakers stating that one of their favourite things to do when writing is "juxtaposing serious topics using childlike metaphors in order to get the point across in a different way."[17]
Band members
Current members
Tahlia Borg (born 2002)[14] – vocals, drums (2018–present)
Cahli Blakers (born 2001)[18] – vocals, guitar (2018–present)
The Australian Independent Record Awards (commonly known informally as AIR Awards) is an annual awards night to recognise, promote and celebrate the success of Australia's Independent Music sector.
The South Australian Music Awards (previously known as the Fowler's Live Music Awards) are annual awards that exist to recognise, promote and celebrate excellence in the South Australian contemporary music industry. They commenced in 2012.[36]
