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Album review: Loose Tooth

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LOOSE TOOTH
Loose Tooth [Undead Collective Records]

This Northampton band have a biography that states ‘millennial malaise at it’s most morbid’. As sales pitches go it’s unlikely to have people queuing up for tickets. It’s obviously a little bit tongue in cheek. But then again, as the guttural scream of ‘Split In The Hair’ kicks in and lasts an uncomfortable nine seconds, maybe not so. Anyway up, the hardcore punk/grunge/metal trio have turned in a debut [mini] album that’s as confident and fresh sounding as anyone has any right to be.

The pummelling action of Oli Knight (formerly of Of Blue Skies And Youth) on vocals and guitar is capably aided and abetted by Adam Cator on bass and Josh Miller on drums throughout (both formerly of Death Kindly Waits For Me). Eighteen months work has gone on in the background leading up this release, and it’s been time well spent, as the songs give the hardcore/alt-rock scene a sure-shot in the arm.

‘Moodhoover’ has immediate impact, with the juxtaposition between anthemic chorus and the tense light/dark shades on the verses. It loses its shit towards the climax and will leave you rather stunned when it’s suddenly over. The aforementioned ‘Split In The Hair’ plays it relatively straight – the hardcore centre sounding familiar to millions. It moves into screamo territory in the breakdown though: we’re talking less scare-the-horses and more Stephen King shit-the-bed. ‘Roman Nose’ showcases their trademark tempo changes again, shifting effortlessly from frenetic passages to a more grunge-style chorus.

‘Raincoats’ has one foot in the indie/alt-rock world: all well-shaped guitar lines through just the right pedals and a keening, angry melody about love gone wrong. If you want to dip your toe into this album it’s perhaps a good starting point. ‘Snakebites’ repeats the trick, though with a little too much reliance on the pure grunge sound when evidently the strength of the band is the blend of their myriad influences. ‘The Everfall’ is the softest sounding tune here: an effecting minor-chord bruised body that jolts back into life on slash’n’burn punk choruses. They finish with their debut single ‘Pearls’, a powerful song about a dying relative and the anguish that causes. It’s beautiful, haunting, sad, angry, and more besides. Well worth waiting around for, in an album that continually rewards.

If you enjoy Refused, Deftones, Soundgarden, At The Drive-In, or Million Dead then there’s something here for you. And really you should be all over this, as Loose Tooth offers some serious dark fun to those bleak Midlands nights.

Phil Moore

Loose Tooth is available to buy on ITunes, to stream on the major platforms, and to buy on CD directly at the band’s shows

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