Album Review: Housewarming Party – Baby Teeth

Salt Lake City’s Housewarming Party have today released their debut full length “Baby Teeth” that follows on from their previous EP’s, 2017’s “Something less Than Friends“, 2016’s “Get Fast Food And Stay Inside” and their debut release “Between Two Mountains“. It must be said that Salt Lake City is not a place that conjures up images of a vibrant punk scene, the Dwarves even recorded to entire song about not going there on “The Dwarves Must Die“, but scratch beneath the surface and you’ll find that first impressions can be misleading.

“Baby Teeth” Kicks off with the album’s title track, a few acoustic chords swiftly give way a steady chugging rhythm that’s overlaid with an understated vocal, there’s a distinctly off kilter charm that’s coupled with a poppy sensibility that draws you into “Baby Teeth” in a shade under three minutes. Their self styled ‘relationship orientated punk’ is a pleasant surprise, throughout the album’s half hour there is a defiantly DIY punk approach that is underpinned with a poppy element, but without descending into pop punk clichès, the band’s debut full length is lo-fi but listenable and is delivered with a distinctly live feel, all of which combine to create a unique package

If you want comparisons then there aren’t many, but the Smoking Popes lovelorn punk rock is probably a good starting point, tracks like “Cinderblocks” and “Original Muscle Beach” have an undeniably infectious feel, these are counterbalanced by the likes of the more sensitive and melancholy “Constant Turning”  and “For Pinks Again (Again)” and the frantic duo of  “Love Seat” and “Work Week“. The end result is an emotional rollercoaster that comes at DIY punk from a distinctly unique angle. Whether Housewarming Party will be everyone’s taste is debatable, but those who fall for the discordant warmth embedded deep in the grooves of “Baby Teeth” will be utterly smitten.

“Baby Teeth” is now available on CD and digital formats via Bandcamp here

Housewarming Party‘s website can be found here and you can view the video for the album’s title track below