Sleek Teeth photos by Holy Smoke Photography
With the announcement of this year’s Substance Festival at the Great American Music Hall, we here at SF Sonic wanted to highlight some of the bands and artists playing over the three nights, whether they’ve been around for years or are early in their musical journey. Los Angeles duo Sleek Teeth might be new to the scene, but their self-titled EP shows a band that knows what they’re doing. Drenched in 80s-inspired synths with a visual identity to match, I talked to vocalist Vox Porter about the band’s first release and what they’re going to be doing next.
Tyler King: How did the two of you meet? Had you both made music together before?
Vox Porter: We met through Craigslist actually! Josh put out an ad and I responded. We both made music separately in other projects prior to this one.
TK: Where does the name Sleek Teeth come from?
V: We were kicking some ideas around, and that name just sort of surfaced and we liked it. Plus it wasn’t already taken, so it ticked all the boxes! We feel like a band name takes on the identity of the band and doesn’t necessarily need to hold some profound meaning, it’s more of a vibe thing, and we both felt like that was the one.
TK: It’s rare that a band’s first release sounds so assured, but your self-titled EP is oozing with confidence. How long did it take to record the five songs? What were the first and last songs recorded for IT?
V: We spent a lot of time dialing in our sound before releasing anything. We both brought ideas to the table when we met, and a workflow evolved into what exists now as a unified approach. The first songs that were ready pretty much out the gate were “Operating” and “Gone,” and “Sanctuary” was one of the last ones we finished for the EP.
TK: Each song sounds like it was specially made for both the dancefloor and also a live setting. Was that something that you both were conscious of when writing the songs?
V: Yes absolutely. We want our songs to be applicable in a variety of settings, almost simultaneously.
TK: What comes first for you: the lyrics or the music? And does one influence the other?
V: Typically, the music comes first. But it does inform a certain style or approach for lyrics and vocals. There will be a specific mood or idea embedded that we sculpt out.
TK: Your song “Sanctuary” is the one that truly sticks out to me the most on your EP. Would you be able to talk about the writing process and creation of it?
V: That was an instrumental idea that we had in the early stages of the band, and even though we recognized that it was a bit different than the other tunes we were developing, we were both really drawn to it. So we fleshed it out with vocals, and it felt like the perfect closing track for the EP.
TK: What is the inspiration for your band’s visual identity?
V: That is something that took some time to cultivate. As with every band’s beginning you’re starting from scratch, pooling influences and inspiration. We wanted something raw and mysterious, not falling too hard for common darkwave tropes, but also satisfying our interests, especially with science fiction and horror. Cinema plays a part in that.
TK: What’s next for Sleek Teeth?
V: We’re excited to be going on our first tour in July, which we’re doing with Hallows through the Southwest. We’re also playing festivals in Calgary, Tampa, Chicago, and are thrilled to be returning to Substance Fest in the fall. And we’re working on new music, which we’ll be releasing later this year.
TK: What other bands that are playing Substance Fest are you looking forward to seeing?
V: We’re looking forward to seeing Pixel Grip, Geneva Jacuzzi, Sacred Skin, Skoto, Dildox, Nuxx, and many others. There are too many good ones to mention!
TK: What can we expect from your live set at Substance Fest?
V: You can expect lots of darkwave energy and our signature brand of haunted pop.
Follow Sleek Teeth on Instagram here
Tickets for Substance Fest can be purchased here
