Song of the Day: TEEN - Tokyo

Every Monday through Friday, we deliver a different song as part of our Song of the Day podcast subscription. This podcast features exclusive KEXP in-studio performances, unreleased songs, and recordings from independent artists that our DJs think you should hear. Today’s song, featured on the Morning Show with John Richards, is “Tokyo” by TEEN from the 2016 album Love Yes on Carpark Records.

TEEN - Tokyo (MP3)

The Brooklyn quartet TEEN's spacey, crisp pop music sounds like it could be beamed out of a stereo that's equal parts acid and sunshine. Sisters Kristina ("Teeny", the band's namesake), Katherine, and Lizzie Lieberson, along with Boshra AlSaadi, were exposed to music from a young age (their father was an acclaimed composer and their mother a mandolinist who once played with Jerry Garcia), and spent time in other projects before TEEN started coming together in the fall of 2010. Across their six years and three LPs, the group have explored the pop music landscape through a kaleidoscopic lens, layering nebulous keyboards and impeccable vocal interplay on top of each other to create Krautrock-tinged melodic gems. Although their latest LP, this year's Love Yes, doesn't have the same free floating feel of their Pete Kember-produced debut, it redirects that energy into a set of tighter than ever songs that retain their more experimental elements, not least on "Tokyo". A spiky vocal cadence bounces back and forth atop twinkling keyboard patterns, taking momentary pauses to underscore the poise of the arrangements before resuming. Add in a glowing chorus and a well-placed keyboard freakout, and "Tokyo" has all the pieces in place to strut along like the glistening piece of art-damaged pop that it is for three-and-a-half glorious minutes.

TEEN have a series of American dates with Wye Oak lined up this summer, but no West Coast shows announced at the moment. Keep up with the band at their website and Facebook, and watch the clip for the Love Yes cut "Free Time".