twisted teens

Twisted Teens are a New Orleans duo who refuse the usual choice between punk and country, then play both at once until the seams disappear. Caspian "C-Bird" Hollywell (also of Chardonnay and Blackbird Raum) chants and rasps over Ramon "RJ" Santos' pedal steel, a pairing that turns two-chord fundamentals and drum-machine clatter into something closer to religious psychosis than roots revival. Their songs braid absurd specifics with gut-punch one-liners, drawing critics toward Raw Power-era Stooges, Parquet Courts, and the crying steel of Pete Drake. After circulating on cassette and hand-slung vinyl, the 2026 albums Blame the Clown and Florida Water Blues moved the band from tour-van obscurity into wider notice, landing on Paste's best-of-2026 list and winning a public convert in Merge Records' Mike Krol. Steel guitar and tarot, crust-punk and gospel harmony: the reference points keep multiplying because none of them quite fits.