The Grates 'Teeth Lost, Hearts Won'

Posted in Music by domalessio on Sep 02, 11:00AM

The Grates
Teeth Lost, Hearts Won
(Dew Process / Universal)

It's hard to dislike The Grates - and trust me, I tried. They beat the cynic out of me, even if it was with the ferocity of a schoolyard scrap rather than a heavyweight fight. Teeth Lost, Hearts Won isn't a deviation in style for the Queensland trio but more a solidification of the sound first explored on their debut of 2006, Gravity Won't Get You High: grunge chords packaged into ebullient pop parcels. Capturing the energy of their live shows is paramount to the success of The Grates on record, and they've distilled their hyperactive nature into thirteen short tracks. Their songs are like sugar rushes: too much and it loses its buzz, but just enough and you'll be jumping around your bedroom for hours.

It's these kind of tunes that The Grates have built the foundations of their fan base on. Songs like 'Burn Your Bridges' which sounds like The Yeah Yeah Yeahs hyped up on red cordial, 'Aw Yeah' exploding like a bomb and the raucous punk feel of the aptly-titled 'Earthquake' are textbook Grates. One of the pleasantly surprising aspects about Teeth Lost, Hearts Won is the trio's confidence in themselves to partake in more elaborately arranged songs like 'Two Kinds of Right' and 'Not Today', both of which are drenched in indie-pop grandeur, ornamented with keys, layers of vocals, glockenspiel and even a bass guitar! (The Grates opted to form without a bass player, a decision that's always baffled me. Still does.)

Patience, John and Alana know what they do well, and they hone their craft on Teeth Lost, Hearts Won. This is no grand artistic statement; it's an album born out of the desire to have a good time. It will be a tall ask for the three members to translate the songs in a live setting, and after seeing The Grates play at the Annandale Hotel a couple of years ago, I can't imagine them making the tunes sound as good as they do on this album. But I'm not here to critique their live shows, I'm here to tell you what Teeth Lost, Hearts Won is like. When you put this album on, it doesn't matter what it might sound like live, it's how it sounds in the here and now that counts.

Take these songs for what they are, turn them up loud and rock out. It's the only way to enjoy The Grates.