11 songs that informed Teens in Trouble’s debut album What’s Mine

With Teens in Trouble’s self-titled EP, Lizzie Killian channeled ’90s alt-rock heroes like Weezer, Pixies, and the Breeders. Now, as she readies the release of her debut album, What’s Mine, which arrives this Friday via Asian Man, she’s delving deeper into the fuzzy songs that soundtracked her youth. As a self-described “child of Pinkerton-era Weezer,” the new record is steeped in distortion and hooks that soar with unguarded emotion. The result is deeply satisfying, catching the attention of people like PUP’s Stefan Babcock and Jeff Rosenstock guitarist Mike Huguenor, who both feature on the LP. As Killian taps into thorny truths and challenges the limits of nostalgia, it makes her sound all the more ready for much bigger venues.

Read more: Every Weezer album ranked: From worst to best

Fittingly, the album features the sugary cut “Playlist,” where Killian asks people to rattle off their favorite songs, so we asked her to tell us some of hers, as well. Below, Killian walks us through some of the artists and tracks that influenced What’s Mine.

Hoop Jail – “Stranded Planet”

This song is just a vibe all the way through. It immediately makes me want to bob my head and dance, which is what I wanted our album to do. This is the first song I added to a playlist I started two months before going into the studio, when I was starting to think about the sound of our album.

Ducks Ltd. – “18 Cigarettes”

I like the journey this song takes you through emotionally through sound alone. I actually don’t really know the lyrics to this song, but I remember hearing it for the first time and thinking, “This is a good song.” I was really drawn into the sound of the guitar and how the whole feeling is elevated when the chorus comes in. It’s also a song with solid rhythm that makes you move.

The Paranoyds – “Heather Doubtfire”

This straight-up rocks from the beginning, but I love the mood change when they sing “It’s the same damn thing…” I like when songs are able to pull off a dynamic shift like this, and it’s something I did in the middle of “You Don’t Want To Mess With Me,” and, to some degree, “Awkward Girl.”

Culture Abuse – “Bee Kind To The Bugs”

I listened to this song a lot around the tail end of releasing our debut EP in 2022 through the recording of our debut LP. There are a lot of little things I like in the song, including the campy singing about being kind to the bees, the sort of warbly guitar melodies, and the transitions between sections.

Wednesday – “Fate Is…”

Huge fan of the guitar feedback, being a child of Pinkerton-era Weezer, after all, and the crescendoing choruses.

Lucy Dacus – “I Don’t Wanna Be Funny Anymore”

I love Lucy Dacus’ lyrics and her ability to tell relatable stories through song. Pretty much all of my songs are autobiographical, and it’s always nice to hear when people tell you your song is relatable, which makes you feel connected in a way and less alone.

Diet Cig – “Harvard”

This song resonated with me just through vocal delivery alone. Something I’ve been trying to do with Teens in Trouble is getting down to the belly-deep core of my feelings and being able to fully and authentically translate that into song. I want to yell, and hoot, and holler, and I try that a little more in the debut LP.

Antarctigo Vespucci – “Freakin’ U Out”

Speaking of yelling, hooting, and hollering…

Dehd – “Loner”

It’s the yodeling for me.

The Beatles – “Something”

Being Beatles fans, Randy [Moore], the producer on the record, and I would reference them often, but this song in particular surfaced to the top of my mind when we were working on the last song of the album, “I’m Not Perfect.”

Weezer – “The Good Life”

I would be remiss if I didn’t include my favorite Weezer song in my list of influences. “The Good Life” is such a silly song — “Shakin’ booty”??? Anyway, the song goes places.