- Melbourne trio Loose Tooth are wiggling their way into the limelight with the release of their debut album, Keep Up. The longtime friendship between members Etta Curry, Luc Dawson and Nellie Jackson is apparent on the full-length play, which is full of trusting musical parts, fun hooks and shared spotlight.
Loose Tooth have found a fresh sonic palette on this record, borrowing the best musical aspects from their 2016 release Saturn Returns and combining them with a new perspective – the kind of musical growth that becomes apparent as you change as a person, but still aren’t quite ready to say goodbye to who you were. Gone are the grungy, guitar saturated punk riffs, replaced with what some would say are more ‘listener friendly’ tones – more ambient chords that are saturated in reverb, nderneath the main melody line.
Heavy harmonies are used in place of the screaming, angry vocal we are used to hearing from Loose Tooth – however, this doesn’t detract from their core morals as an angry group of punks. Instead, it facilitates a more interesting take on what is quickly becoming an over-saturated genre. The more melodic approach gives a new sense of emotion to their songs and the harmonies showcase the finer workings of the band as well as emulate the more full on vocal sound we are used to hearing from Loose Tooth. Where their previous work was simple and emotive in all the right places, this record is more realized and polished – something you don’t always see from bands that start out in the three chord punk scene.
The record has a few vibe changes along the way, which provides exciting dynamics - riding the wave of Keep Up feels like you’re riding on the highs and lows of life, which is exactly the feeling that the band is attempting to create. With most tracks contemplating the feelings of a shifting landscape at that oh so stressful part of your life, Keep Up is like the last day of summer before returning to the boring office job that you hate. It highlights the simultaneous importance and unimportance of relationships in your twenties and the heartbreak and isolation that go along with that.
Keep Up is no masterpiece, but it never claims to be. Instead it’s a real portrayal of the adulthood reckoning we’re all trying to hide from, and that’s refreshing. So many bands spend too much time reminiscing on the past that’s long and gone, whereas Loose Tooth are just trying to keep up with the now.
- Olivia Shoesmith.