The Telescreens want their shows to be "the best day of your life," and they're prepared to go the extra mile to make it happen.
The New York-based band, which sounds like a 2020s incarnation of other grimy NYC bands like the Strokes or LCD Soundsystem, are quickly becoming one of the hottest tickets on New York City's underground rock scene due to their explosive, chaotic concerts, where you'll see crowd surfers aplenty.
While they're booking traditional venues like Bowery Ballroom and Mercury Lounge, the Telescreens frequently find themselves performing on roof tops, in backyards, and even pool-side at a club. And on one occasion, with the vibes of some 300 fans at a houseparty at stake, Telescreens' frontman Jackson Hamm found himself literally cleaning up sh**.
Someone had had an explosive incident in the restroom, Hamm tells Music Times. Determined to leave "nothing but footprints," Hamm took matters into his own hands.
"Your boy, me, juiced on adrenaline, got a f***ing pile of Clorox wipes and cleaned up some motherf--er's diarrhea in the name of rock and roll."
The Telescreens got their start in 2016 when Hamm and his NYU classmates Austin Brenner (bass) and Josiah Valerius (keyboards) started jamming together. They released their debut album, The Return, in 2020; Oliver Graf (drums), a friend of Hamm's younger brother, joined the group soon after.
"We were doing a lot of electronic sh** [on] the first record," Valerius says of the band's sonic evolution. "And then, we tried to do that live, didn't work, needed a drummer, and lo and behold, Oliver was in New York."
The band believes that live music "should feel like a spiritual emancipation," and they needed their recorded music to also offer that release. Their debut album featured more electro-ballads like "Melancholy Dreaming" and "You're Alright," but after adding Graf on drums, the foursome was able to lean into heavier, stage-shaking rock.
Their 2023 single "Phone Booth" marked a turning point for the Telescreens. The track is far more rock than anything on The Return, and this adapted sound continues into the band's latest release, Stare Wide. The EP is rife with thrashing guitars and smashing drums that now define the band's flashier rock 'n' roll era.
The Telescreens, which took their name from a surveillance and propaganda tool in George Orwell's dystopian novel 1984 ("We kind of flipped it," Hamm says of the meaning behind the name. "For me, it's a thing that represents what we're all feeling as human beings in 2024."), are set to release their second full-length album, 7, in the fall. Of its 16 songs, nine are brand new, and according to the group, the record has "some sad sh--" along with a few "bangers."
"We put out all of the accessible, digestible songs," Hamm jokes as he describes 7, while noting that the band still has "a few in the chamber." (Namely, an entire third album set to release mid-2025.)
A slew of 7's singles will be released throughout the summer.
The Telescreens will take the stage at this weekend's Governor's Ball in New York. They're also set to perform at Austin City Limits and Bonnaroo later this year, proving that the band can hold its own in a sea of summer music festivals.
"I just can't wait to play my guitar out of a loudspeaker," Hamm says of the upcoming festival season.
The four-piece also has plenty of shows on its docket too, including gigs in Nantucket, Los Angeles, and their regular smattering of NYC venues throughout the summer.
"The goal of the Telescreens is just to make everybody feel like themselves for a little bit," says Hamm, "It's just the desire to play as much as possible and as many different places as possible."
Plus, "the rooftops are always f***ing sick," he adds.
© 2024 MusicTimes.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
