Cut Your Teeth is quite different from England’s Kyla La Grange’s first album, Ashes. She’s traded quivering rock-styled vocals for ones of a more light and airy nature. With the talented producer, Jakwob, providing the background electronic synth, Kyla’s sophomore album is a skillfully crafted change in direction.
The album starts off with the titled track “Cut Your Teeth” which creates a cool and nostalgic energy. “Maia” pairs her breezy voice with twangy strings as “Cannibal” pulls the album into the depths of a darker tune. Although her voice is consistently light and soft, with lyrics like “I’ve got nothing on you, you were all I’ve had to lose” and tracks “I Don’t Hate You” and “White Dove” the overall theme of loss and loneliness bring a more serious and grounded feeling to the album.
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“I’ll Call To You” is the only track of the album not produced by Jakwob. For this deep bassy melody Jas Shaw utilizes the contrast of higher vocals with a deep, menacing beat. In stark contrast “The Knife” re-energizes the album with steel drums, creating a carefree island vibe.
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The whole album is so skillfully compiled that, while each song is distinctive, they all feed into each other perfectly with songs like “Fly” transitioning into one of my favorite tracks of the album. Featuring Jinnwoo, “Never That Young” has full bodied sound with heavy hitting beats and layered vocals before finishing off with “Get It”. Kyla La Grange is currently touring Europe with shows slated for Germany, Norway and Switzerland
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Full Track List
- Cut Your Teeth
- Maia
- Cannibals
- I Don't Hate You
- White Doves
- I'll Call for You
- The Knife
- Fly
- Never That Young
- Get It