Imperial Teen was formed in San Francisco in 1994 by Roddy Bottum, Lynn Perko, Jone Stebbins and Will Schwartz. A power pop aesthetic of crunchy guitar rifts and classic boy/girl harmonies quickly developed, finding all four members switching off on instruments and taking turns behind the mike. The band had barely been playing together for six months when they landed their first record deal (London/Universal) and found themselves in the studio. The result was the amazingly fresh and joyous "Seasick," which tickled the fancy of many a critic and music fan alike, with its infectious pop grooves standing out in a musical climate dripping with grunge. After several unforeseen roadblocks (label inertia, recording delays) Imperial Teen went on to release "What Is Not To Love" in 1999, and managed to garner even more praise and adoration worldwide. They even scored an MTV-style breakthrough with their single Yoo-Hoo which landed on the Jawbreaker soundtrack, with an accompanying video featuring Rose McGowan.

After parting ways with Universal during the now infamous major label purge of a few years back, Imperial Teen miraculously found their way over to Merge Records.Their newest, "On," [out April 9, 2002] is quite simply, hands down, one of the best pop records you are likely to hear anywhere this year. Produced by the band with assistance from Steve McDonald (Redd Kross) and Anna Waronker (That Dog)"On" is one of the most stunning and fully realized album of the Teens’ career. Hooks that bite, melodies that soar and songwriting that reveals itself to be much more than pure pop confection. Boy/girl harmonies mask lyrics with a bite, and guitars and keyboards are just as likely to drone as chime, as Imperial Teen expands upon their already rich musical palette. This record just gets more and more amazing with every listen, revealing itself layer by layer. And the live show is the true Imperial Teen experience, delivereing everything you'd expect and more.