Bite Your Own Teeth - Banks St

Bite Your Own Teeth

Banks St
​self-released; 2021

3.8 out of 5

By Jamie Funk

Bite Your Own Teeth aka Daniel Rutledge is an artist from Houston, TX. Rutledge recently released a five-song EP entitled Banks St. The songs as he describes them are “alternative lo-fi” and I would say that’s an apt description.

The EP starts with “Comes and Goes” which is a highlight for a number of reasons. It starts very moody with a hypnotic groove of reverb laced guitar, bass and vocals. The song around two-and-a-half minutes in starts to rock with some distorted guitar. There’s a nice build of layers.

The next song “Ra, God of the Sun” is mixed very differently. There are tons of high frequencies and a lack of low end from the bass. It sounded more like a drum and guitar jam session and like a different artist in the spirit of an adrenaline induced version of The White Stripes minus the vocals.

Up next is “The Rat” and is another 180 in terms of style. This is a meditative soundscape that felt cerebral and experimental. The next highlight is “Follow Me To Pay Dirt, Ye Heathen” and fits into a more heady and moody piece that is also by far the most epic song echoing a vibe similar to the band Deafheaven. Last up is “Everything, Endless” and is the best mixed song on the EP. This song had some similarities to the previous song “Follow Me To Pay Dirt, Ye Heathen.”

This is a scattered EP in terms of style and production aesthetic. I felt like I was listening to a couple of different artists. As an engineer myself one thing I will mention is that handing your mixes to professional mastering can help by sculpting the sonic imprint to have a similar aesthetic. 

I enjoyed this EP but I think the last two songs were his strength. In my opinion these two songs could be a start for creating a more singular and signature sound. I hope to hear more in the not too distant future. Take a listen.

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