BIGTOOTH - Hair Conditioned (2023) [Hi-Res]

In silence, silence persists. But if someone starts to sing, a galaxy can inflame, light by light. Soon, you realize, the place surrounding you is filled with revelries and rabble-rousers, sarsaparilla spillers, families and solo artists filling the constructed space with voices, plucked strings and the spitter-spatter chug of an expertly snapped snare drum. This is the ethos of Seattle’s “Dad Pop” band, BIGTOOTH. Welcome to it.

Comprised of experienced experts, the band is part chorus, part campfire song, part skeleton key and part honey pot, dripping with melody. Electric-blue harmonies buoy big guitar chords and bright lightning bolt rhythms. No influence is out of bounds, no wave unworthy of the surf. Though the group, itself, is, in a way, at the beginning of its journey, its members have long, impressive histories in the Emerald City sonic pastiche.

Together, BIGTOOTH has performed at famed local clubs, the Sea Monster Lounge, Tractor Tavern, Nectar Lounge and Royal Room. With one spin of the band’s forthcoming new full length album, Hair Conditioned, it’s clear its members know what they’re doing. But what they’re doing is also unique. It’s a new blend of ingredients that harken back to traditional styles and yet portend new positions of exclamation. Silence is valuable. But not in the celebratory moment of a brand-new tune.