Recently, in a Facebook group I belong to, someone posted, “All of the best music comes from Europe. America sucks.” The reaction was swift and brutal. While it’s true that Europe produces plenty of excellent music, America is on fire right now. Some of the most exciting new acts on the scene hail from the States. We let him know it.
One of these emerging stars is Sleek Teeth, a Los Angeles-based duo that blends thumping mechanical beats with infectious melodies and sinister spirit. They’ve released a handful of singles and a self-titled EP that collects their five tracks, including “Endless,” one of my favorite songs of the year.
The members of Sleek Teeth were kind enough to answer my questions about their background, influences, and what lies ahead.
Let’s start by introducing yourselves. Tell us who you are and a bit about your backgrounds.
Josh: Hi, thanks for having us! I’m Josh. Songwriter, producer, singer, performer. Leo. One half of Sleek Teeth.
Vox: Hey, I’m Vox! Songwriter, producer, singer, performer. Gemini. Other half of Sleek Teeth.
How did this project get started? Was there a particular moment when you realized you had something special?
Vox: I found Josh’s ad on Craigslist about starting a darkwave project. True story.
Josh: I think the very first time we met and started sharing some initial ideas that we had both made on our own, we were both pretty excited about the possibilities.
What can you tell us about the name Sleek Teeth?
Josh: I think I just randomly came up with the name, and we both liked it. It’s succinct, pretty easy to remember. I personally don’t think a band name needs to have some deep meaning, but it needs to feel right, and based on the music we had started working on, that name fit the bill.
Who or what would you say are your biggest influences?
Josh: From a pretty young age I was drawn to music that was subversive or off-kilter in some way. The first time I heard Pretty Hate Machine, I remember thinking “I’ve never heard anything like this and I love it.” So definitely NIN, and Depeche Mode and The Cure were early inspirations. There was an honesty in that music that really resonated with me, it felt raw and real.
Vox: My earliest and biggest influence was The Crow soundtrack.
Your songs explore themes like social anxiety, disconnection, the fear of the unknown. Why do these themes resonate with you, and what do you want listeners to take away?
Josh: I’m not exactly sure why those themes resonate with me (maybe a therapist could answer that for me at some point, haha) but I think for both of us that’s where the music comes from, trying to work through those feelings and figure it out. And I’m not sure there’s so much a fear of the unknown, but more of an acknowledgement that you’re going to have to face the unknown at some point in your life, and we address the feeling of trying to navigate through it. I guess my hope for listeners is that if someone has also felt this way, maybe it’s reassuring to hear someone else’s journey through it, like they’re not alone.
Vox: And beyond the notion of not being alone, that music has the power to heal.
So far, you’ve released five Sleek Teeth songs. If you had to pick one to define your sound, which one would it be and why?
Sleek Teeth: Since our songs range from EBM to synthpop to darkwave, it’s difficult to pinpoint one that solely defines our sound. We think “Operating” encompasses a lot of the elements found in our music.
Your video for “Endless” has a Blair Witch meets The Lost Boys vibe. I love it! How did you come up with this visual aesthetic and storyline?
Josh: Cool, thank you! That’s exactly what we were going for. We wanted to create a journey that starts in a familiar place and ends up somewhere completely unexpected that you couldn’t see coming, so aesthetically we knew we wanted to capture a sense of mystery. The carnival atmosphere with lots of people and activity provided a nice contrast to where the journey would wind up, somewhere desolate and alien (and we also liked that the pier was a nice wink and nod to The Lost Boys). The found-footage approach allows the audience to experience the unexpected twists and turns in real-time with the characters.
I know you’ve performed at least two shows. How have your live performances gone so far, and are you looking forward to more?
Sleek Teeth: The shows have been great, the crowds have been amazing and have had a ton of energy. Most recently we played Substance, a darkwave festival in LA that always features great bands, so it was awesome to be a part of that. We love performing and are definitely looking forward to more shows.
This is the first time I’ve named a U.S. act the best new synthpop artist of the year. The last three years, it’s been acts from Sweden, a major source of great synthpop. What are your thoughts on the current state of American synthpop/dark electronic music?
Sleek Teeth: We’re honored to be the first U.S. artist to be selected! Sweden definitely has a strong track record when it comes to electronic music, so we’re in good company.
Here in LA there are great shows happening just about every week, and it’s often a mix of local bands and touring artists from other places in the U.S. (and all over the world!), so it seems like an exciting time for synthpop/dark electronic music in general. The American scene feels like it’s really flourishing right now.
Looking ahead, what’s next for Sleek Teeth? Can we expect a full-length album?
Sleek Teeth: We’re continuing to get the word out on our new EP, which we just released in October, and are always working on new tunes. Our remix for XTR Human just came out, and we have also some remixes by other artists of our tracks on the way, so keep an eye out!
Photos by: Holy Smoke Photography
