Matt Hewson
Melbourne electro indie pop trio Telenova has been on a steadily upward trajectory in the Australian music scene since releasing their debut single Bones and first EP Tranquilize in mid-2021.
The band were particularly successful through 2022, releasing second EP Stained Glass Love, receiving Australian Independent Record Awards’ Breakthrough Independent Artist of the Year Award and other award nominations and performing at the 2022 APRA Awards and big festivals.
Telenova is currently in the middle of their second tour, taking their classy brand of elegant vocals, deep grooves and complex arrangements to sold out venues across the country.
Frontwoman Angeline Armstrong said neither she nor bandmates Joshua Moriarty and Edward Quinn had anticipated this level of success.
“We met at a songwriting camp and we just really enjoyed spending time together; if we weren’t thrown in a room together I don’t think our circles would have ever crossed,” Armstrong said.
“We were all just looking for a space to feel creatively free and to hang out with some like-minded people. None of us mentioned anything about touring or even recording.
“I just missed playing music with people that I got along really well with and who loved the same kind of music as me. I thought maybe we’d do a pub gig a month or something like that, but it really took off.
“Honestly I mean mostly for me it has just been an overwhelmingly wonderful surprise and every step of the way. I’ve never been in a band like this before that have played this level of shows and have this quality of recording as well that we’re able to do in house all together.”
Telenova has wide appeal, connecting with both younger listeners and older music fans due to their music’s blend of top-notch pop sensibilities, a breadth and depth of soul and emotion and high-level vocal and instrumental ability.
Armstrong said the wide cross-section of fans they had attracted was also unexpected.
“We sort of all imagined (our music) would be really well-suited to seated theatre shows like the Arts Centre in Melbourne,” she said.
“For whatever reason, we just didn’t picture a room full of kids dancing around and having a good time. I’ve been really wonderfully surprised that it seems to hit such a wide range.
“We have people, it would be a mother and daughter, or mother and son, come together. And the mum is like 45 and the kid is 18, and they’re like, my mum showed me your music, or vice versa.
“It’s not a particularly cool word, but I think we build a sense of community that is pretty multi-generational and quite diverse. There’s a real sense of oneness in the room, but it’s not because everyone’s dressed the same. There’s something special (about that).”
Telenova will perform at the Torquay Hotel on Saturday, June 17.