New Release Friday: Carpenter Brut - Leather Teeth

'Leather Teeth' by Carpenter Brut
released February 23, 2018 (Caroline)

If retro 80's darkwave laden, grindhouse evoking, modern synthwave electrohouse raves sound like a great time to you, then please, stay awhile and listen.

France's Carpenter Brut is a one of the handful of artists at the forefront of the synthwave revivalist movement, alongside Horror Synth contemporaries Perturbator and Gost, with cited inspirations ranging from American horror soundtrack innovator John Carpenter to noted French House duo Justice.

There is a restless spirit in Carpenter Brut's writing and genre bending, applying 'cheesy' songwriting approaches commonly associated with 80's pop, with the impactful precision brought by modern production. His creative ear to crafting the varied landscape that is 'Leather Teeth' - one minute darkwave or dance, the next hair metal and vaporwave - aligns with the musician's approach to labeling his music:

Above all, I don’t want to be stuck in a single genre because that would be too constricting and I might become a little bored.

 
Loaded with high energy, dance beats like the opener title track 'Leather Teeth' and Hairspray Hurricane, huge vocal hooks courtesy of Kristoffer Rygg (of Ulver and Arcturus fame) and Mat McNerney (Hexvessel), and more self aware epics like the soundtrack-esque narratives in 'Beware the Beast' or the closer 'End Titles', this album is huge!

I especially noted the up production quality relative to his previous EPs, a crisper sound with less focus on creating natural unease through clipping or over mixing, and a more cohesive feel of the album as a whole as if each song was written to accompany and compliment those around them. My only hint of complaint for this album is the double-edged sword of wishing for more music than the 39-minute run length.

The concept behind the album is that 'Leather Teeth' is written as a retro horror film soundtrack for a movie that only exists in the imagination of the music.

This is the story of Bret Halford, an introverted science student. He likes a girl who doesn’t like him and much prefers the team’s star quaterback. Bret gets mad. He tries to create a concoction that will allow him to control them all, but ends up disfigured and decides instead to become a rock star. This is how he will seduce the Girl, and all other girls: by becoming Leather Teeth, singer of Leather Patrol.

Carpenter Brut is embarking on the Leather Patrol tour; which will be a 3-piece (Carpenter Brut and a live guitarist and drummer) if it reflects his last US Tour. Europe in March and States & Canada in April, playing Coachella on April 13th and 20th.

_{Synthwave, Horror Synth, Electro House
for fans of: Depeche Mode, John Carpenter and Justice
to purchase/listen to this album: Amazon | Bandcamp | Spotify | vinyl}

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_{all images promotional unless otherwise noted}

_{Thoughts on the album?
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