A call to arms for all dreamers.
Taking on the world with their potent pop vision, Sydney pop duo Like Angels have returned for 2021 with another one of their lush, fun, hard-hitting slices of pop perfection.
Titled ‘Teenage Dream’, the new single sees the pairing of Emmalisa and Sarah Engelbrecht deliver another empowering anthem, this time aimed at all the dreamers and dream-chasers out there who have ever been shut down by someone who doesn’t believe in them.
Laced with humour and sass, this hypnotic pop is the musical equivalent of putting a middle finger in the air towards these people: to anyone who has ever tried to hold you back from reaching your goals. You’ll be hooked from the very first note.
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Written back in 2019, this track was inspired by the sister’s own experience in realising that not everyone will be a cheer-leader for your dreams.
“It’s definitely derived from personal experience. During our Like Angels journey (especially in the early days before we’d even chosen a band name), we experienced a lot of people expressing negativity and doubt over what we were doing,” the sisters explain.
“They would say things like ‘oh, but music is just a hobby right – what’s your real job?’ or ‘when are you going to start tertiary education?’. They couldn’t comprehend that for us, pursuing music wasn’t just a “teenage dream” but something we were actually serious about.”
Thankfully for our ear-drums, Like Angels followed their dreams and proved the nay-sayers wrong, having gained some serious recognition for their three previous releases over the past few years. Turning doubt and hate into fuel for their action, Like Angels wrote this song not just because it happened to them, but people they know it happens to a lot of other people out there.
“So many people out there have dreams and desires and have to deal with the unsolicited discouragement and negativity of others. Sometimes it’s even your own self-doubt, saying “can I really do this?”.
“Whilst we wrote “Teenage Dream” with our own experiences in mind, we wanted it to be an anthem of hope for anyone who has a dream! We hope it brings encouragement and reignites the passion in people’s hearts to go after what they want and turn their dreams into a reality!”
Combining eccentric samples, clever lyricism, stunning fast-paced harmonies, a fun high school marching band beat and dynamic vocals, ‘Teenage Dream’ is perfect pop. Equal parts genius and fun, sparkling and eminently likable. It’s an absolute nostalgic and dance-worthy bop, pushing it into the upper echelon of songs that we imagine would send rollerskating rinks into a frenzy for generations to come.
Produced once again by their go-to Philippe-Marc Anquitil (Little Mix, Ruel, Jessie J), influences from the likes of Ryan Tedder, Taylor Swift, Switchfoot and NF surge and flourish within their songwriting, with an emphasis on emotional connection, allowing them to dive in and produce both meaningful and relatable anthems time and time again.
“Working with Phil is amazing! His musical mind and ability to build a track and produce vocals is honestly insane – he’s so knowledgeable and talented at what he does! He listens to us as artists, but challenges us too. If we want to experiment with our sound or try something new, he’s down for that,” the sisters explain of their lasting working relationship with their producer.
“We’ve learnt so much from him about producing a song and the music industry too. But even more than that, Phil is just an amazing down to earth, genuine human being. He has a passion for music and for helping young artists develop. He genuinely cares about us and the songs that we bring into the studio.”
Fittingly, the track will also act as the theme song for Like Angels’ self-taped Youtube series “Almost Like Angels”, which follows the sister’s journey to reach their childhood dream of becoming international superstars, in a mockumentary style series (think “Flight of the Conchords” or “The Office”).
While music has always been a big part of their lives, from childhood through to their teenage years, the indie-pop queens first made their mark in 2019 the best way possible with their poignant debut release ‘Rain’, donating all proceeds to Australian bushfire and drought relief organisations.
Since then, it’s been an upward trajectory for the sisters, who went on to release ‘Tunnel Vision’ in May last year and their bold anthem ‘Lose It’ in October. Harnessing heady rhythms, unique harmonies, and a super catchy chorus, Like Angels have cemented themselves as frontrunners in the Australian indie-pop scene, thanks to their honest, relatable and playful tracks.
Listen to ‘Teenage Dream’ below.
