At first listen, ‘Cut Your Teeth’ is the extreme opposite of Kyla La Grange’s debut ‘Ashes’. Where that album was a guitar-led collection of folky festival tunes, this new work (produced by British electro producer Jakwob) is minimalistic, darkly electronic and introspective.
It’s a beautiful change of pace. The sparsely produced title track, for
instance, sees La Grange lamenting “you never knew my name” over a spectral
beat, bubbling bass and gently oscillating synths; whilst the album’s other
lead single, The Knife, revolves
around a steel drum patter that contrasts with the melancholic lyric “does it
tear you up inside?”. Where her earlier
work failed to stand out from the crowd, ‘Cut Your Teeth’ is arresting for its
quiet delicacy.
Listen closely, though, and that folk influence is still
present, predominantly in La Grange’s vocal.
It’s a pretty voice that lilts gracefully with folk inflections, its
fragility matched by the cold, brittle nature of the production. There’s an earthiness
to the lyrics too with a focus on nature: “so will you come down to the river if
I take your lion’s mane?” she questions on White
Doves; Fly is full of folky
storytelling with stabs of synths; and Raise
The Dead opens with a capella harmonies that’s pure Clannad. Final track Lyssa meanwhile eschews the new sound in favour of the old guitars,
sounding totally out of place.
The two lead singles show the pop potential of the album, in
addition to the stormy Get It and Maia (which oddly sounds like it was
recorded underwater). As a whole,
though, ‘Cut Your Teeth’ feels almost too minimal, to the point of lacking
substance. Over time, La Grange’s ethereal
voice feels whispy and lacks power, whilst the production doesn’t develop and
fails to provide a real punch; there’s a lack of depth to the sound, with
ironically not enough to sink your musical teeth into. On the flip side her material is ripe for
remixing – Kygo’s brililant remix of Cut YourTeeth offers the donk the original can’t.
Ultimately La Grange’s change in sound is a risky strategy
that definitely pays off, resulting in a far more original album than her past
material. The album’s subtlety is both its
strength and its weakness: a liberal sprinkling of fairy dust creates plenty of
haunting, magic moments, but in the pursuit of delicacy that magic dust is too
easily blown away without leaving an impact.
3/5
Gizzle’s Choice:
* Cut Your Teeth
* The Knife
* Get It
Listen: ‘Cut Your Teeth’ is available now.
