“Teenage Sadness” by The Julies

There’s no point in denying it: A song that name drops a Cure album — The Head on the Door, in this case — to explore the emotional heft of teen angst and nostalgia is going to be absolute catnip for me. Although my 50th birthday is next month, there are times when I’d rather be the 17-year-old who’d spend his day holed up in his bedroom writing overwrought poetry and listening to Robert Smith’s mopery.

The Julies’ “Teenage Sadness” ably captures that feeling, with Chris Newkirk singing “It used to hit like a crush/But now I think you know it lasts longer than love/Teenage sadness is forever” while bandmates Alex Yost and Patrick Zbyszewski create a suitably lush blend of post-punk and shoegaze guitar-work. Much like My Favorite, The Julies turn what could easily be mere solipsism into fine art. In other words, if you ever feel the need to dissociate from this present age and look back on adolescence through nostalgia’s rose-tinted glasses, then here’s a song for you.

“Teenage Sadness” comes just a few short months after “Summermouth,” and all of this activity certainly bodes well for the rest of 2026.