By Chris Bryson
Over the years and to the present Animal Teeth have been honing and refining their craft through dedication to an established and flexible sound.
Animal Teeth have always accompanied an underlay of haunted aesthetic with their ever-expanding form of dreamy sadcore indie pop-rock. Like the echoed and churning, bristling and fuzzy cavernous expanse of their cover of Grizzly Bear’s “Deep Sea Diver” from Teefe, or the slow progression and smoked-out haze of “Deep Sea Diver” follow-up track, “Sleep/Dream”.
From the glitchy electronics of “Swimming” to the sprawling splendor of Happy To See You standout, “Transcendentist”, whose instrumentals give the semblance of early Modest Mouse caught in the fluid and fervid moments before a signature grandstand Isaac Brock freak-out, the band have pronounced their darkened aesthetic in fine and variable ways.
The three new preview tracks from Animal Teeth’s upcoming release A List of Things to Say stay within this realm. The slow folk waltz of “Made My Bed” hosts Stefan Hodges’ low croon amidst subtle and soothing guitars and pattering drums.
“When You” features sparse and flowing guitars with Hodges voice fluctuating in punctuation and momentum, emotion sifting through sound, with the lyrics “when you come back, I hope it’s the same, because everything has changed, everything is changing”. The song feels whimsical and longing, lustrous yet grayscale, paradoxical in its ascent.
“Gone” is a sprightly number that boasts chiming guitars and earworm hooks. The song feels light and airy, spacious yet confined, and around the minute and a half mark the band breaks into a swelling Broken Social Scene-like jam, with dulcet brass billowing atop the mix. The feeling is immediate and serene, subtle, shifting and soaring – another gorgeous addition to Animal Teeth’s developing catalog.
A List of Things to Say comes out on November 4th through Slow Shine Records.
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