Interview: The Sinking Teeth

The Sinking Teeth are a lot of things. They’re an Australian punk outfit who hail from Melbourne. They’re a trio (current an future collaborations with a fourth member notwithstanding) who bring a no-holds-barred approach to their songwriting. They’re the best definition of “yelly punks”. But most importantly, they’re celebrating the release of their debut album ‘Songs From The Bottom Of The Lake’. We got a chance to have a chat about the album, their singles, and why it’s time someone bit Buffy.

First off, congrats on the release of your debut album ‘Songs From the Bottom of The Lake’! What’s the story behind the such an interesting album title?

Thanks heaps! The last song on the album is called The Bottom Of The Lake and it’s about a couple of guys who died trying to cross the Macmillan Straits, which is the passage of water that separates the island I grew up on from the mainland (the song is written from the perspective of one of them). The lyrics for all the songs on the album are based on events that have happened throughout mine and Julz’s lives. They all bear a deep meaning to us and we felt that this titled reflected the depth from which the lyrics came.

With a producer like Tom Larkin (Shihad, High Tension, Bodyjar), the creative process behind making the alum must have been incredible! Did Larkin influence any major chances to the band’s sound or creative processes?

To use his words: working with Tom is like doing your hair in the morning. You can absolutely nail the front of it but you can never really see the back of your head properly. Being a player of one of the instruments in the song you have written
can really distract you from whether or not the song is any good. You can get totally caught up in how fun a part is to play and forget to focus on what the band sounds like as a whole. Both times we have worked with Tom he has been a great external filter for us to cut to the cream of what we have written. He hasn’t really changed our sound at all, he’s just suggested ways for us to sound better. Some of these suggestions we take on board and some we don’t, but its always great to have an external perspective.

Who were some of your major musical influences when creating the album?

The whole time we have been a band we’ve always listened to really different music. The writing process for this album spans quite a few years really, but during that time Julz was listening to a lot of RnB and some more mathy prog stuff like Toe. Ben was listening to 90s Emo stuff like Archers Of Loaf and a fair bit of modern pop, and I was listening to a lot of messy punk sh*t like Hot Snakes & a fair bit of Ryan Adams too. Now that we are working with Ado on drums he will probably bring a massive Propagandhi element to the next one which will make things interesting in a different way.

You have described your sound as “yelly punk”. Can you explain what that means for those uninitiated to The Sinking Teeth?

Teeth has been branded as heaps of things, but I always say “Yelly Punk” stuff because it’s punk stuff and I sort of sing/yell. This came about mostly from playing with loud drummers and loud guitar amps and quiet PA systems. I just kept singing louder and louder and now I can’t really do it any other way. So it’s Yelly Punk. Sorry mum.

We’re huge fans of the album’s latest single Salt & Stiches. What was the inspiration behind the song?

Salt & Stitches came from a conversation I had with Mitch from The Love Junkies. We were sitting at the Rochester Castle in Fitzroy talking about how writing serious songs about harder sh*t in your life is like cutting yourself open and exposing your insides to all your mates who then either rub salt in your wounds or stitch you back up again.

You’ve performed extensively throughout Australia. Where would you most like to perform and why

I’d like to play The Bowery Ballroom in New York. I saw Mystery Jets & The Dig play there in 2009 and I felt so far away from home. It would be cool to feel that far away from home and be standing there screaming at a room full of people.

Australia-wise I’d love to play at Lefty’s Old Time Music Hall in Brisbane but that’ll have to wait till we write our country album.

You’ve played with some pretty big names so far, including Jimmy Eat World, Luca Brasi, Bodyjar and Violent Soho. Who would you most like to work with next, and why?

It would be fucking amazing to support Alexisonfire or The Bronx. Those bands are fucking phenomenal and I think we  would learn a shit load from both of them.

We’re excited for your upcoming ‘Songs From The Bottom of The Lake’ national album tour! What are three things fans should know about you live shows?

1. Microphones are public property. If you know the lyrics get on stage and sing them.
2. The best view of any stage is from on top of a pile of your mates.
3. If you see anyone being mistreated or hurt in any way, have their back because we’ve got yours.

Lastly, if each member of the band were a vampire, who are the three people you’d love to sink your teeth into, and why?

Ado would love to sink his teeth into all the members of Youth Group because he would want them to be “Forever Young”.

Julz would love to sink his teeth into Sarah Michelle Gellar, because he thinks it would open a portal to another realm where there’s an all you can eat “Buffy” (which is the direct english translation for Buffet) and a pile of new un-stepped-on transition lens glasses ready for him to get creepy with.

Nick would like to sink his teeth into Susan Sarandon, because he’s never been that close to heaven and he wants to see if it’s real.

Check out The Sinking Teeth’s latest single Salt & Stiches, and the tour dates below!

The Sinking Teeth Album Tour

FRI 18 NOV
The Edinburgh Castle, Adelaide
SAT 19 NOV
Crowbar, Brisbane
WED 23 NOV
Frankie’s Pizza, Sydney
THU 24 NOV
Hideaway, Sydney
FRI 25 NOV
The Basement Canberra
SAT 26 NOV
Yah Yah’s, Melbourne
THU 15 DEC
Amplifier, Perth
FRI 16 DEC
Badlands, Perth
SAT 17 DEC
The Odd Fellow, Fremantle

Get Tickets HERE