Police Teeth

Awesomer Than The Devil LP
Latest Flame Records, 2011

There should be a name for the genre of bands that play this type of punchy post-hardcore punk rock whatever, and this Seattle band’s third album should be considered one of the better examples of said genre. Witty song titles, razor tight playing and a willingness to playfully fuck with the conventions of this genre’s ancestry define this undefined genre. Police Teeth go from a searing lead track “Send More Cops” (which I’m hoping is an excellent reference to Return of the Living Dead) straight into a couple Superchunk-y anthems and lots of well-placed sonic elements like the clanging Sonic Youth guitar in “Hatchet Wound City” and some unexpected organ hits in “Public Defender.” And one of my favorite tracks so far this year is “Digital Snakes” which comes along and totally rips like the finest Trans Megetti track. You can hear bits of Bluetip, Fugazi, Guzzard, These Arms Are Snakes and a slew of other excellent ’90s bands — as well as some 2000s-style screamo — within the 45 minute runtime of this disc. But those are just touchpoints. Police Teeth synthesize these influences and create a sound all their own instead of merely aping the past. If there’s ever a good term adopted for the style of music Police Teeth play, this will one day be considered a landmark LP of that style. Watch for it on limited pink vinyl coming in April.

DOWNLOAD

Police Teeth – “Summertime Bruise”
Police Teeth – “Rock & Roll Is A Pyramid Scheme (Parts 1 & 2)”

LINKS

Latest Flame Records
Police Teeth on Bandcamp