Everything Old is New Again
The Longitudinal Appeal of New Orleans' Twisted Teens
“We’re real. You can like us or you can hate us, but you can’t say we’re not real”. Caspian Holywell, Twisted Teens, 2025.
Caspian Holywell and RJ Santos of Twisted Teens
“Bands who sound like other bands” can be really tricky. On one hand, having a reference point and context for an artist you’ve never heard before can be advantageous. On the other hand, comparisons to certain types of artists can be an albatross. For instance, there are literally millions of bands who “sound like (foundational NY punk pioneers) the Ramones”, but there is ultimately only one Ramones. So when I heard about a new band that “are a little like the Gun Club”, I was curious but skeptical. The Gun Club were an iconic Los Angeles outfit that infused punk with blues, rockabilly and country music to create a unique, rootsy and passionate sound, like a more serious and diverse version of The Cramps. I’ve heard some other bands get compared to the Gun Club, but usually it was close but no cigar, coming off as a too-self-conscious facsimile, with the newer group lacking their own unique personality. But this group was different. Hailing from New Orleans, Twisted Teens formed a few years ago around the nucleus of guitarist/vocalist Caspian Hollywell and pedal steel guitarist RJ Santos. They did seem to capture some of the “spirit” of the Gun Club, whilst carving their own musical lane.
I was pleasantly surprised when I previewed their music on Bandcamp. While I don’t know if Twisted Teens classify themselves as a “punk band”, I noticed the influence while also finding them to be wildly divergent to the genre. While foundational punk bands like the Clash declared in songs like “1977” decrees like “No Elvis, Beatles or Rolling Stones”, suggesting a clean break from the past and the creation of something new, Twisted Teens eschew that ethos and display a deep reverence and respect for older musics. Fueled by garage/punk energy, they incorporate blues, soul, country and bluegrass into their music in a natural, non-forced way. Confirming this in a recent interview with independent punk magazine Razorcake, Hollywell relayed that they are influenced by “(1977 Portland punk band) The Wipers, old time Cajun music, (1950s rockabilly guitarist/vocalist) Charlie Feathers and early rockabilly”. Hollywell also revealed that pedal steel guitarist RJ Santos listens to “old jazz and blues.” Hollywell also notes the impact of 1950s guitarist/vocalist Link Wray and 1960s psychedelic rocker Roky Erickson, who brought “one of the primal currents of punk…raw sexual energy to their music”.
Twisted Teens self-titled album cover
Twisted Teens released their debut self-titled full-length in 2024 with the two men playing all the instruments. Far from sounding like a Frankenstein monster studio project, the album plays like an organic band gelling together in the studio. The release reveals a spectral array of styles, with 1960s avant-garde rockers Velvet Underground presenting as a clear influence, especially on the track “Sister Heat”. The super catchy “Marionette” also relays the VU influence, peppered by tinges of bluegrass. Other highlights include the punky “Rando”, the libidinal country of “Tic Tac Toe” and a bluesy/soulful/bluegrass cover of the Phil Phillips and the Twilights’ 1959 track, “Sea of Love”.
Speaking about the record in an interview with Atwood Magazine, Hollywell relayed, “I wanted to make something that felt like a garage rock record but […] is definitely not a garage rock record.” Lyrically, Twisted Teens draw from a deep well, with Hollywell’s assertion that the album communicates “the masculine (though not necessarily male) experience of feelings and relationships. “In our culture we have only been presented with perverse, false masculinity,” he explains, “and so people respond by either embracing the false vision or rejecting masculinity entirely.” He also reveals that other lyrics reference the foundational Chinese Taoist text the Tao Te Ching.
Twisted Teens “EU EP” cover
Next came a six-track digital-only release recorded in Europe simply titled “EU EP” (physical release please!) in 2025. This EP might show Twisted Teens at their most wildly divergent, showcasing the rootsy New Orleans stomp of “Graveyard”, the backwoods backwater blues country twang of “Subway” and not one but two waltz-rhythmed tracks including the philosophical shuffle of “Drillin’”. “Drillin’” features some great lyrics:
“Some people push until everything breaks While others do the same thing in an effortless way When water is flowing, get the fuck out of the way Or you could learn to be a surfer and live one more day.”
Twisted Teens “Blame the Clown” cover
Less than four months later, they released their second full-length, “Blame the Clown” in February 2026, again with most of the instruments played by Caspian Hollywell and RJ Santos. No sophomore slump is apparent with the album being in the similar musical vein as the first, including the raw, tuneful, punchy energy of “Little Seed”, the creepy-crawl country of “Peekaboo Hand”, the flirtatious and catchy Velvet Undergroundish “Wild Connection” and the campfire blues of “White Hot Coal”.
Twisted Teens San Francisco show flyer
I was happy to see that Twisted Teens were coming to San Francisco in March 2026, playing the local Mission District bar/nightclub The Knockout for the shockingly low price of twelve dollars. I almost felt guilty paying so little for three bands, including a band on tour. On a tip from the DJ (Thanks, Nate!) regarding set times, I arrived at the small venue packed with excited fans close to the time Twisted Teens were hitting the stage. Due to the size of the crowd, I couldn’t really get close or really see RJ Santos, the pedal steel guitarist, but they played an great, engaging yet economical 30-40 minute set, playing mostly the standout tracks from their two full length albums. Guitarist/vocalist Caspian Hollywell made the gravelly revelation that he “had a fever”, which might’ve ended the set a bit early. I was happy to score their two albums from the merch table and I also had a brief conversation with the sick Hollywell and he was as nice as he could be.
Twisted Teens straddle multiple genres, sounding appropriate for a garage punk show as they would busking on a New Orleans street corner. In the interview with Razorcake, Holywell relayed, “Our goal is to fit in anywhere… whether that means playing with Americana and country bands or if it means playing at (punk garage rock festival) Gonerfest…” RJ Santos interjects, “We’re… putting our personalities and our souls into the music”. Hollywell concludes “We’re real. You can like us or you can hate us, but you can’t say we’re not real”.
RJ Santos and Caspian Holywell
Twisted Teens’ catalog is available at https://cpnpc.bandcamp.com/.