SHOWING TEETH: Looking Back On A Fiery Debut & Overseas Launch
“It's like having a diary from a year ago be randomly released to the public - it's good, but it's strange.” Having seen SHOWING TEETH at their debut headline show and witnessed their presence online, it's no surprise to us that singer and founder Addison is as down-to-earth and witty in person. The natural charm she shows on stage is true to her authentic self and adds a layer of ease to our chat, which comes through in her humble candour about her rocketing success and notoriety, and the anxiety that comes packaged with this.
“The hype came a lot faster than I could have ever expected and at a rate I never expected,” Addison remarks honestly. “I love that I can have music as a job now, but it's scary to know every time I post online people are upset about it apparently. I’m biased, so I'm obviously gonna see the negative comments more than the nice ones, but it makes it worth doing these shows, and I'm glad I've taken these opportunities.” Addison’s tone has shifted from uncertainty to determination and self-assurance by the end of this answer - proudly defiant of those who would try to tear her down.
SHOWING TEETH had a less-than-conventional introduction to the heavy music scene, originally starting as a cathartic creative outlet for Addison, who had already built a mass following from posting memes, clean covers and self-tapes of her practicing vocal screams in her car. “I would do all that shit posting and thinking I was hilarious, me and SHOWING TEETH felt like two totally different things, and then through doing serious covers I started connecting with what I now consider my music family."
"I’m a huge fan of PERIPHERY, and that was how I was introduced to Matt Halpern (drummer for PERIPHERY). He was shown some videos, and suddenly all these people came into my life as mentors who wanted to help co-write and help with production - a weird hodgepodge of internet friendship from being chronically online. I get asked if I’m his niece or something and I have to go ‘no, I was just a keyboard warrior in the PERIPHERY subreddit’,” she adds with a deadpan delivery and self-deprecating smile. We reflect for a moment on how the community came together to support Addison’s project and has helped instil more belief in herself and her place in the new wave of ‘core artists.
This sentimental moment is quickly hijacked by the appearance of not one, but two cats behind Addison. “He cannot handle me giving anyone or anything more attention,” she laughs freely and fondly about her first cat, Stanley. “That’s the EP cover right there,” she follows up the entrance and exit of her other cat, happy with a moment in the limelight. “Her name is Mike; she doesn’t usually appear. That was a rare sighting!” We’re confident OOR has just been blessed by SHOWING TEETH EP A Fate Worse Than Loneliness cover royalty - Michael the cat has her yawn immortalised on the EP artwork.
The inner workings of the EP, however, kept everyone awake and bustling. “I already had a lot of demos of my own. I like to use electronic instruments, but I'm talking very general bleeps and bloops, but that's how I get a lot of my melody and scream cadence ideas.” At this point, Addison gets a pensive look on her face as she runs through how many people worked with her on the EP and heard out all her ideas. “Sometimes I think some of these people believe in it more than I do, which probably sounds depressing, but to me it’s just me spilling my guts out on a song. I like what I write; I take it extremely seriously, so it was very shocking at the start to have people immediately on board without me convincing them after years of begging people to listen to my ideas.”
In Addison’s own words, “Spilling guts” feels like an apt way to describe an EP that’s bursting with emotional catharsis, not necessarily following a structure or telling a story in parts but instead sees Addison baring her soul through experimental sounds. It’s the vocal recording that really labels her as a force to be reckoned with, using bare minimum resources to create a visceral sound that competes with much broader budgets and deeper pockets. “Some of the vocals I retracked, but most of the vocals are from my car in one take, so it's purposefully messy. Compared to stuff I’m writing now, the EP is extremely raw and unedited; it’s meant to be ingested as a whole. I love recording in the car, not so much when it was my only option, but this was made before anyone even knew anything. The only way I can write is just whatever comes out in the moment, and it’s still raw - it can be frustrating, and I have to record it and then step away and not over-edit it, but it’s still pretty experimental.”
The UK was fortunate to be treated to the full live performance of these tracks before anyone else. Flying halfway around the world to launch SHOWING TEETH was a huge risk, but one that paid off monumentally with a sold-out headline show in Camden and huge crowds drawn in at Outbreak Festival's huge weekend double of BRING ME THE HORIZON shows. “It hit me that people had bought tickets to see me, that was so overwhelming and good, and horrifying in an ‘I can’t let them down’ way. It’s so rewarding knowing that my fans are nice and beautiful and they really care about the music and asked me wonderful, genuine questions. It was everything, more than I could have ever hoped.”
Addison continues her upward trajectory as SHOWING TEETH are making ever larger waves, opening evenings on PRESIDENT’s US tour, and we part ways on the promise that she’ll come back over to the UK soon - “I’ll swim over.” See you soon, SHOWING TEETH!
Words: Julia Stark
Photos: Showing Teeth
With thanks to: Spinefarm and Showing Teeth
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