Every so often you hear a record and it instantaneously floors you. All Teeth's debut full-length I Am Losing is one of those records. The thirteen songs that make up this album are filled with such passion, aggression, and emotion - it is as though anger, frustration, resentment, and bitterness actually fuel the songs. The lyrics and music perfectly match the intensity of each other that words really don't do justice for what has been recorded here.
I Am Losing opens with an intro track of hard hitting bass drums; guitars are added to the equation followed by chanting of "Loved, never / Hated, forever." This sets the stage for an impassioned twenty-three minutes of intense, anger-fueled, high-octane hardcore. "Dead Man" lasts only forty seconds but devastates the listener with a frenzy of guitars offered by Mike Bingham and Luke Slinkert as dual vocalists David Kelling and Jake Cash scream their fucking lungs out, trading off, and oftentimes overlapping each other's vocals. They both make use of forceful screams - one is slightly deeper and more bellowing, the other slightly more coarse.
"Murder" continues the destructive ride with an equally as blistering attack. The aggression behind this song, and every song for that matter, is anchored on the rhythm section of James Rogers (drums) and Mike Fenton (bass). "Rattlesnakes" brings to mind American Nightmare's The Sun isn't Getting any Brighter while "Fuck What You Do" reminds me a little bit of the first Blacklisted material; its volatile as fuck and no doubt energizes the crowd in a live setting.
"Kids Like You" is a minute blast of fast-paced hardcore with a sweet mid-song build-up that is followed by an excellent Suicide File riff-session that is partnered with a sing-along. "Miss Moon" has some nasty 90's riffing going on. It's as though they've taken Snapcase or Burn riffs and are playing them at ten times the speed.
"May Days" is a slow churning and agonizing venture, but in a good way. You can literally feel the pain and disappointment of the lyrics as each word is uttered. It's like the song is annihilating your will to be happy one word at a time. This is followed by "California Sons," which might be the best hardcore song I've heard in a good five years. The song is absolutely invigorating and the mid-song break absolutely slams.
The album closes with "It's Just a Smoker's Cough," another reflective analysis that further cements the album as nearly untouchable. I realize this is a bold statement, but this is honestly a truly spectacular album.
I honestly cannot urge you enough to seek out a copy of I Am Losing. Everything about this record is fantastic. If you've a fan of genuine hardcore with passionate intentions then you owe it to yourself to get a hold of this album. Without a doubt, I Am Losing is the hardcore record of the year.
