Teenage Retirement
Teenage Retirement is the only studio album by American rock band Chumped, released on November 18, 2014, through Anchorless Records.[1]
Teenage Retirement | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | November 18, 2014 | |||
Studio | Mollusk Studio in Ridgewood, Queens, NY | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 34:48 | |||
Label |
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Producer | John Meredith | |||
Chumped chronology | ||||
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Background
The album is titled after the band some members played in prior to Chumped's formation. The album's sound has been compared to that of Superchunk,[2] Nirvana,[3] and Slingshot Dakota.[4] A music video for "December is the Longest Month" was released in December 2014.[5]
Anika Pyle discussed the album's title in an interview prior to its release:
PYLE: It's like "Forever Young" for punks, essentially. It explores those darker things, like watching people get old, seasons getting away from you and people you love dying, but at the same time, it discusses holding onto what makes being young so fun and trying to retire in that. There are a lot of songs about aging and coping with getting older and grappling with the nostalgia of watching your youth run away from you. But there's also stuff about trying to hold onto what makes you feel young, because that's so important for enjoying your life.[6]
Critical reception
Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
Alternative Press | |
Consequence of Sound | B[2] |
Exclaim! | 7/10[8] |
Nashville Scene | (favorable)[9] |
Pitchfork Media | 7.3/10[10] |
PopMatters | 7/10[3] |
Punknews.org | |
Robert Christgau | A–[11] |
Many critics gave Teenage Retirement favorable reviews, with Tom Breihan of Stereogum naming it "Album of the Week" on November 18.[12] Josh Terry at Consequence of Sound considered the record "a strong opening statement of charming pop punk with airtight hooks and ripping guitar leads."[2] Mischa Pearlman from Alternative Press described the album thus: "Chumped's debut album couldn’t really be called anything else—its 12 songs throb with both the naïve, reckless abandon of youth and the jaded, tired contemplation of old age."[7] Pitchfork's Devon Maloney wrote that the album "finds that melodramatic sweet spot that made emo and pop punk hit so hard in the '90s and '00s."[10] Zachary Houle of PopMatters felt it a "bonafide enjoyable album [...] Teenage Retirement feels constructed well as a whole."[3] Kyle Ryan of Entertainment Weekly dubbed it "one of 2014's best musical surprises."[5]
Track listing
No. | Title | Length |
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1. | "December Is the Longest Month" | 4:01 |
2. | "Hot 97 Summer Jam" | 2:19 |
3. | "Coffee" | 2:23 |
4. | "Novella Ella Ella Eh" | 1:21 |
5. | "Anywhere But Here" | 2:54 |
6. | "Name That Thing" | 2:13 |
7. | "Songs About Boats" | 1:54 |
8. | "Long Division" | 2:51 |
9. | "Something About Geography" | 3:11 |
10. | "Penny" | 2:50 |
11. | "The Pains of Being..." | 4:40 |
12. | "Old and Tired" | 4:11 |
Total length: | 34:48 |
References
- Gotrich, Lars (22 October 2014). "Viking's Choice: Chumped, 'Name That Thing'". NPR. Retrieved 27 November 2014.
- Terry, Josh (19 November 2014). "Teenage Retirement Review". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved 22 November 2014.
- Houle, Zachary (19 November 2014). "Chumped: Teenage Retirement". PopMatters. Retrieved 22 November 2014.
- RENALDO69 (18 November 2014). "Teenage Retirement". Punknews.org. Retrieved 22 November 2014.
- Ryan, Kyle (17 December 2014). "'December is the Longest Month' in this new video for Chumped -- exclusive". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 20 December 2014.
- Melanie Gardiner (September 2, 2014). "Chumped's Endless Summer". Interview. Retrieved February 8, 2016.
- Pearlman, Mischa (24 November 2014). "Chumped - Teenage Retirement". Alternative Press. Retrieved 28 November 2014.
- Williams, Rebecca M. (18 November 2014). "Teenage Retirement Review". Exclaim!. Retrieved 3 January 2015.
- Seling, Megan (19 November 2014). "Chumped's New Album, Teenage Retirement, Includes Your New Winter Anthem". Nashville Scene. Retrieved 24 November 2014.
- Maloney, Devon (8 December 2014). "Teenage Retirement Review". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved 20 December 2014.
- Christgau, Robert (21 November 2014). "Coathangers / Chumped / Parkay Quarts / Parquet Courts / Cloud Nothings / Half Japanese / Typefighter / Wire / Oblivians / Sunwolf / Swearin'". Medium. Retrieved 24 November 2014.
- Breihan, Tom (18 November 2014). "Album Of The Week: Chumped Teenage Retirement". Stereogum. Retrieved 24 November 2014.