Part of the early-'80s explosion of Southern power pop, the X-Teens emulated the quirky wit and geeky tension of new wavers like Elvis Costello, XTC, and Talking Heads. The group was formed in Durham, North Carolina, and featured guitarist/vocalist Robert Bittle, keyboardist/vocalist Todd Jones, bassist/vocalist Kitty Moses, and drummer Ned Robie. Their debut release was the Don Dixon-produced EP Big Boy's Dream, issued on the local Moonlight label in 1980. Local legends Dixon and Mitch Easter both worked on the band's self-titled first album, which was released on Dolphin in 1983, several years after it was originally completed. The follow-up, 1984's Love and Politic, was the band's biggest seller, even scoring a little MTV airplay with the single "Change Gotta Come." However, that taste of success led to internal tensions, and the X-Teens split up in 1985. Jones and Robie formed 4 Who Dared, while Bittle and Moses embarked on their own project; neither achieved the respectable underground profile of their former vehicle. ~ Steve Huey, Rovi
