The first time we heard this ultra-tasty jangle-pop morsel was waiting for indie folk darlings The Decemberists to hit the stage during their What a Terrible World, What a Beautiful World tour in 2015.
A quick Shazam revealed this mystery song on the Decemberists’ pre-show playlist was “Birth of a Teenager” by British indie band The Claim.
Formed in 1980, The Claim were part of the thriving Medway scene that came out of the Medway Towns, north Kent, England in the 80s alongside The Dentists, Thee Milkshakes, The Prisoners, Thee Headcoatees and more.
Note: We were unable to find “Birth of Teenager” on other streaming services.
Fellow Medway band The Dentists - “I Had an Excellent Dream”
The Decemberists - “Burial Ground”
Speaking of The Decemberists, last month Colin Meloy and gang released their first album in six years, As It Ever Was, So It Will Be Again.
Opening track “Burial Ground” (featuring James Mercer of The Shins) is a Medway-inspired jangle that Meloy described in a press release as “that time-honored pop song tradition, a paean to hanging out in graveyard”.
He further explained, “The melody hook came to me in a dream and I hummed it into my phone on waking. Most dream-songs are bad; this was the exception.”
Talk about an excellent dream.
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