Reality Check, the debut album from Paris-via-London band The Teenagers, is causing quite a ruckus online. Discussion of the album has erupted into a verbal dogfight between those who find it a hilarious satire of adolescence and those who vehemently argue that it’s entirely unlistenable. The conflict is threatening to become a brutal war of attrition, mainly because both sides are right.
The album opens with “Homecoming,” a simplistic new wave song that wouldn’t sound out of place as a forgotten Duran Duran B-side. The lyrics, however, stand out. In a disaffected French accent, front man Quentin Delafon lazily talks about meeting a virginal American cheerleader and hooking up with her because “she is such a slut.” Delafon starts singing when the chorus kicks in, informing listeners “it was a dirty dream come true, just like I like it, she’s got nice tits,” while guest-vocalist Sarah Rozelle — who plays the cheerleader — notes “it was a perfect dream come true, just like a song by Blink 182.” The song continues in this spoken verse, sung chorus fashion with Delafon and Rozelle lambasting sex-crazed, pubescent boys and hopelessly naive teenage girls to great comedic effect. All in all, it’s fantastic.
Reality Check’s problems begin on the next song, “Love No,” which, aside from the lyrics — if not the subject matter — is essentially identical to “Homecoming.” The same could be said of the remainder of the album. The thing is, The Teenagers make it very clear that this homogeneity is entirely deliberate. The whole album is a skewering of the age group from which the band takes its name, from the absurd shallowness of the lyrics to the distinct lack of any musical variation, but that doesn’t extend the lifespan of the joke any.
Considering that The Teenagers intentionally set out to make an album with as little diversity as possible, the fact that Reality Check can only function in a world where shuffle is the norm is likely some comment on adolescent fickleness. It’s just another reason why Reality Check is somewhat sublime, yet undeniably terrible, which is a pretty apt summation of what being a teenager is like.
