Royal Teeth

Royal Teeth’s six members come from three cities across Southern Louisiana, a state known for its colossal musical output over the centuries. Now residing in New Orleans, their beat-centric sound is a technicolor addition to the legacy of Louisiana. The band could not be happier with their new home at Dangerbird, saying, “We are beyond excited to be a part of the Dangerbird family. It feels great to be part of a team that we know really cares and wants to see us succeed. We look forward to an amazing year!”

Of the signing, CEO and Founder of Dangerbird Records, Jeff Castelaz shares, “I love New Orleans. My wife, Jo Ann Thrailkill, is from there, and we spend a lot of time in the city. For years, I’ve wanted to sign a band from New Orleans — to raise the Dangerbird flag there, to show our solidarity with the city.” Castalez continues, “On Halloween night, we got invited to see this band Royal Teeth at a little venue just outside the French Quarter. As soon as they hit the stage I got that special feeling inside, and I knew they were the band that would allow us to put our stamp on the city’s musical lineage.”

Since that game-changing Halloween night, Royal Teeth has taken Louisiana by storm. Not only have they played packed shows in New Orleans and Lafayette, the latter of which saw the band sharing a bill with Mute Math, but they’ve also spread their reach to cities such NYC for last year’s CMJ Festival, This winter the band won Nikon’s “Creative Invite”, awarding them a free trip to Austin for SXSW where they performed alongside Fun. Playing an additional two showcases, Royal Teeth also secured the attention of CNN at SXSW who stumbled upon the band courtesy of Twitter, the discovery resulting in a special session for CNN.com.

On, Act Naturally, the vocal duo of Gary Larsen and Nora Patterson provide heartfelt lyrics as the musicians travel through lavish, synth-infused soundscapes, boasting a brand all to itself that’s not quite “dance pop” and not quite electronic. Leadoff track “Wild” finds Patterson’s crystalline vocal hooks bounding in joyous romps over Larsen’s grounded narrative. The tune starts the EP like a warning siren, and it doesn’t let go from there. The catchy tune gained rapid traction in early 2012 launching Royal Teeth into the spotlight as the song found its way into a Canadian Buick Commercial in addition to Fox featuring the song in its winter promotion.

Also on the EP is the band’s bold rendition of The Knife’s 2003 hit “Heartbeats” which sounds like a long-lost New Wave hit from the early ’80s, bubbling over with dance floor pulses and thick kick drum echoes. Royal Teeth effortlessly makes this familiar song its own without having to radically reinvent the style of the track or jeopardize the character of the band.