Teenage Dads are an Australian four-piece indie rock band from the Mornington Peninsula, Victoria, who formed in 2015. The group consists of Jordan Finlay (vocals, guitar, keyboards), Connor McLaughlin (guitar), Vincent Kinna (drums) and Angus Christie (bass guitar).
Since signing to Chugg Music in 2021, they have released one studio album, Potpourri Lake (2018), and four extended plays. Their most recent EP, Midnight Driving, debuted at number 28 on the ARIA Charts. It was supported by "Teddy", which polled at number 63 in the Triple J Hottest 100 of 2022.
History
Teenage Dads was formed by self-taught musicians Jordan Finlay and Connor McLaughlin in Mount Eliza, Mornington Peninsula, Victoria, in 2015, with Angus Christie and Vincent Kinna joining the band later. Meeting in their final years of high school, they played their first show in 2017.
In September 2017, they released their five-track debut EP Wett Weather. Their debut studio album, Potpourri Lake, was released on 26 October 2018. It is described by the band as "mixed bag of sorts", with it "not sticking to genre clichés". "Sunburnt", the third single from the album, was the first from the band to receive airplay on Triple J. In May 2019, the band released their second EP, Red.
The band signed with Chugg Music in April 2021. Three singles were released in anticipation for the band's third EP – "Thank You for the Honey, Honey" (September 2020) and "Cheerleader" (July 2021) – "Piano Girl" was released alongside the full record, Club Echo, in November. They cited the Strokes and Phoenix as influences for the record, which thematically "centres around the last five years of our lives as a band".
In 2022, the band distributed three singles promoting their upcoming project. "Exit Sign" was released in April, described by Ellie Robinson of NME as featuring "bright, jangly lead guitars and clicky drums with heartfelt, warmly sung vocal runs and a soulful, buzzing bassline". "Teddy" and "Hey, Diego!" followed in August and November respectively.
In February 2023, the band announced the forthcoming release of Midnight Driving. Upon release, the band said: "The EP is about perspective. How things look from one point of view, and how they can change over time from another outlook. The songs feel like diary entries, documented internally, like conversations you have with yourself when you go midnight driving. A constant, internal form of therapy almost."
Band members
Current members
Jordan Finlay – lead vocals, keyboards, rhythm guitar
Vincent Kinna – drums, backing vocals
Connor McLaughlin – lead guitar, backing vocals
Angus Christie – bass guitar, backing vocals
Former members
Reece Pellow – lead guitar
Discography
Studio albums
Extended plays
Singles
Tours
Headlining
Ready Teddy Go! Tour, 2022
Exit Sign Tour, 2022
Midnight Driving Tour, 2023
National tour, 2023
Supporting
Lime Cordiale – 14 Steps To a Better You Tour, 2022
Spacey Jane – Here Comes Everybody Tour, 2022
Awards and nominations
ARIA Music Awards
The ARIA Music Awards is an annual award ceremony event celebrating the Australian music industry.
! |- | 2023 | Midnight Driving | Michael Gudinski Breakthrough Artist | | |}