A collection of 1980s classic American power pop has been released this summer by Cherry Red Records. “I Wanna Be a Teen Again: American Power Pop 1980-1989 arrived July 18th, 2025. The 3-CD set, spanning more than 75 tracks from such recording artists as the Bangles, Marshall Crenshaw, Dwight Twilley, and Katrina and the Waves,
From the label’s May announcement: In 1979, The Knack kicked open the doors for a global power pop explosion, and a year or so later, almost as quickly, the doors closed again, but not before a mass of their contemporaries followed them through. Soon, a bunch of others got caught up in the excitement and the record business relearned the power of guitar-driven pop – the first few years of the ’80s were as exciting for power pop as the last couple of the 70s had been, and even when it returned to the underground, the music continued to flow throughout the decade. Other acts represented in the collection include the Romantics, Eric Carmen, Rick Springfield, the Go-Go’s, the Smithereens, and Cheap Trick.
“I Wanna Be A Teen Again” follows the 80s power pop explosion from its hypocentre early in the decade to its enduring late period gems, exploring both leading and lesser lights, the old hands and new talents who made it such an exciting musical happening. By the middle of the decade, the term power pop had been all but retired, but a handful of new bands found success by avoiding it, whilst new movements, including the Paisley Underground and indie pop, helped keep others alive under new brandings. All the while a small number of holdouts, the pop equivalent of the soldiers lost in the jungle after the war had ended, strove to keep the music and the name alive.
Packed with classic cuts and long-overlooked rough diamonds, and appearing at a time when new outfits like The Lemon Twigs pick through the body of 80s power pop for material and inspiration and some key artists like Redd Kross and The Bangles are celebrated in books and film, I Wanna Be A Teen Again is a timely examination and celebration of this action-packed era and its thrilling sounds.
The Fat Angel Sings 