GRAPETOOTH - Grapetooth LP (180gram)

Label: Polyvinyl

Are you, are you violent? Though the reckless, raucous sound of Chicago duo Grapetooth might suggest otherwise, the band was born out of a mutual love for ‘80s Japanese new wave, the weirdo sentimental pop of Arthur Russell, and a good bottle of cheap wine.

Clay Frankel and Chris Bailoni met in 2012 through mutual friends, but it wasn’t until 2015 when they started making music together that a real friendship formed. Bailoni, a producer releasing music under the moniker Home-Sick, eventually crossed paths with Frankel, the singer & guitarist for rowdy Chicago indie stalwarts Twin Peaks. After a night of drinking red wine, Twin Peaks’ tour manager Peyton Copes bestowed upon Frankel the nickname “Grapetooth” – and as they say, the rest is history.

The album captured a feeling the duo happily felt was somewhere between the doomy disco of 80’s new wave and the woozy laments of artists like Arthur Russell and Jeff Cowell. It contains songs about death and love and the movie Badlands and more than a few songs about wine.