The New York, USA-based act teenatown have been appearing on our pages since 2023, a year in which I ran the rule over three of their singles. Boldly tackling subjects such as homophobia and social media in their music, they’re now back with their debut EP.

By Graeme Smith

Teenatown are a duo consisting of Tina Miller and Diego Agoytia. The pair met at a house show on the Lower East Side, bonding over a love of live music and influences that include Paramore, Twenty One Pilots, and Evanescence.

Their debut EP, where the butterflies are, is about letting go of fears surrounding one’s sexuality. “We started writing some of the songs on this EP at fifteen years old,” teenatown explain. “We never imagined putting all of these songs into one cohesive project. We have never been more proud of a body of work and a message. This project is representative of a coming out journey.”

That journey starts through the soulful rivers which at once gives us a taste of the band’s poetic lyrics, lush instrumentals and expressive vocals. It’s a powerful, triumphant start.

Each track on the EP is punctuated by a short audio vignette, alternating between song and interlude before we arrive at a delicate demo of the EP’s title track, which closes things. My <3 is a soft rock tale of romance while black magic rails against those who would tear love down. False prophet hits hard with a classic rock swagger before an a cappella version of rivers provides a strikingly poignant moment.

Teenatown’s new EP is a brave and unrepentant celebration of sexuality which shows that hearts can be won through joy.

Where the butterflies are is out now and you can give it a listen below.