Review Summary: Sounds nice.
Deciduous Teeth, more commonly known as “Milk Teeth”, are a necessity in growing up. Not only does their length shape a person’s jawline but the roots of these teeth outline the route for where stronger, permanent teeth eventually erupt from the gums to replace them, additionally, they even affect someone’s speech and appearance in time. A more prudent metaphor for the source of Gloucestershire’s latest noise complaint could not be asked for to define the potential and career of Milk Teeth.
Last year a tiny band erupted seemingly from out of nowhere with their album,
“Vile Child” that was met with widespread acclaim, many criticising the band as one of the most upbeat newcomers in the UK rock scene. Although it was far from revolutionary, it was a huge statement of intent, melding an uncaring punk attitude and grungy sounds together with barefaced pop lyricism. 18 months later and Milk Teeth have released an EP that does not broaden any of the band’s horizons but does, essentially, amplify the sound they have established.
Perhaps the strongest point of this EP is not so much the music it contains but the brevity of it covers. At around 13 minutes,
“Be Nice” does not outstay its welcome nor sound like someone pulled the plug on an LP out too early. Instead,
“Be Nice” does everything it’s supposed to do: it’s a small amount of extra music to excite their current audience and entice potential fans while gesturing which direction the band could potentially take in future endeavours. Because of how digestible it is, the songs easily wedge themselves into the back of your mind and within no time at all, you’ll want to play it over and over again.
The simplicity of the music makes the song’s catchiness even more irresistible. “Owning Your Okayness” establishes itself as one of the greatest summertime feel-good tracks this year as with laid-back chugging riffs and relatable lyrics delivered with sumptuous syrupy sweetness from Becky Blomfield. Just in the opener, it’s evident that the production on this EP is much better than Milk Teeth’s debut in terms of how massive these songs sound without losing the alternative edge that gives the band an essential zesty appeal.
“Be Nice” provides every aesthetic that Milk Teeth has displayed over their short career. “Owning Your Okayness” radiates a positive, joyful attitude and “Prism” sounds even more relaxed and sleepy, featuring a slow, bass-driven tempo and an undemanding chorus. Whereas “Hibernate” displays the fragility of Milk Teeth through Becky Blomfield’s delicate lyrics, desperately pleading with herself “don’t let me f*ck it up”. Pressure rises and the song develops into a grand atmosphere of strained guitars and smashing drums. Similarly, “Fight Skirt” is a sassy track with irritated drums and fierce yells from Billy Hutton. Behind these four different sounding tracks, the one thing that binds them together is the overall youthfulness that each track releases; this is the sound of young, spirited musicians and when bound together, the sound of a band rising to prominence.
This really is simple stuff. Milk Teeth are not attempting to create complex music that redefines a genre, they’re doing what every successful punk band does to great success: creating simple, straightforward, revved up music delivered with their own candid positive attitude.
