Back with their first full-length release in 25 years, the mighty Teenage Frames have turned out what is surely the record of their lives. That's hardly a surprise given the tremendous quality of the band's (relatively) recent output. When Frankie Delmane and Eric Vegas get together to write songs, greatness inevitably ensues. The title of the album says it all: Everything Has Led To This. Here we have one of the greatest bands of the modern power pop/rock 'n' roll universe doing anything but slowing down after three decades. These guys don't rest on their laurels; they build on their legacy. They describe Everything Has Led To This as their take on "the trials and travails of life in 2024 and beyond, " and thus the album feels very current and relevant. I get the sense that they basically decided that if they were going to go to the trouble of making an album in 2024, they might as well make the one album of 2024 they'd most like to listen to. In a day and age when bands rarely aspire to write the next generation of classic rock 'n' roll songs, this 14-track long player satisfies like few albums do.
Everything Has Led To This features the same Teenage Frames lineup that has been a fixture for two decades: Delmane on vocals, Vegas on guitar, Aaron Money on bass, and Jim Holiday on drums. There's clearly a special chemistry that exists between these four guys, and they've all only gotten better at their craft over time. But an older, wiser Teenage Frames is in no way a softened Teenage Frames. On this release, the band rocks with as much swagger and piss & vinegar as it ever has. The band sounds tight and powerful, and Delmane's pipes and wit are in peak form. Never ones to restrict themselves to just a single lane, these four stir up their own unique mix of power pop, '70s punk, glam rock, new wave, and sleazy street rock 'n' roll (among other things). Having grown accustomed to releasing EPs that were literally nothing but hits, the band has applied that same principle to a full album. Many a band would aspire to be able to put out a greatest hits compilation that's as stacked as this album.
From the '70s-style boogie rockin' power pop of "Brain Fever" all the way to the down & dirty rock action of "Agree to Disagree," Everything Has Led To This is a glitzy parade of bangers. There's something on this record for everyone: pure punk, perfect pop, big hooky rock, and even a Fats Domino cover. The likes of "I Wish I Didn't Know That About You," "Fake Crime," "Fighting Words," "Please Don't Be Stupid Tonight," "Back to the Beat," and "Disappointment" are up there with the best songs in the Teenage Frames catalog. I suppose they could have spread all this goodness out over 4 or 5 EPs and kept us entertained through 2026, but I must say these songs feel right as a single album. If you're looking for music that will make wanna shake your ass and sing along — all the while having plenty to say about the world — this is the record you need. I know it's an almost unforgivable cliché for a music writer to speak of a musical recording disproving the notion that rock 'n' roll is dead. But damn it, how can I not say that about this album? In a couple days, I will revisit this trend of middle-aged bands being the all-time best versions of themselves. I find that very inspiring on a personal level. 53 is the new 29!
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