Wheatus

It’s been 25 years since the release of “Teenage Dirtbag”, and somehow Wheatus’ now iconic debut single is arguably the biggest it’s ever been. In 2022, Teenage Dirtbag became the cornerstone of a huge TikTok movement. The “Teenage Dirtbag photos” trend has now been embraced by millions, including celebrities such as Madonna, Lady Gaga, Mark Ruffalo, Lil Nas X, Jon Bon Jovi, Chevy Chase, and countless others, resulting in the hashtag #teenagedirtbag being viewed over 2 BILLION times worldwide. In the 25 years since the debut album, Wheatus have self-released six studio albums, all of them produced by frontman Brendan B Brown and recorded at their home studio in New York. Hand Over Your Loved Ones is a hooky pop-rock masterpiece that has become a fan favorite, despite Sony Music initially not hearing anything on it worth releasing. TooSoonMonsoon is the band’s tribute to the 70s rock records they grew up on. The Lightning EP and The Jupiter EP see the band venturing into progressive rock territory with twisting melodies, extended solos, and haunting lyrical themes. The Valentine LP takes some of those progressive ideas and combines them with unconventional instrumentation to create an album of love songs performed by musicians at the top of their game. And their re-recorded debut Wheatus 2020 features a full album’s worth of additional songs harkening back to the band’s earliest days dabbling in emo, shoegaze, and post hardcore.