american fangs’ debut full length is finally out now! it was worth the wait! #soundcheck

It’s maybe weird to call yourself a fan of a band after only hearing one track, but that’s how it went with American Fangs. The first time I heard “Le Kick” on the Afropunk Vol 2 comp I was hooked. I hunted for their album. But no luck. Since 2009 they’ve released a few singles and an EP and a WWE theme song because why the hell not? But their debut record is finally here. And it was worth the wait.

Their self-titled full length is half-reminiscent of that period about 10 years ago when bands who cut their teeth on post-hardcore were first experimenting with 60s and 70s pop songwriting. That period gave us some of my favorite albums of all time (Jimmy Eat World – Clarity, The Get-Up Kids – On a Wire, My Chemical Romance – Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge, The Exit – Home for an Island) and catapulted more than a few bands to stardom. But tragically the sound didn’t stick around long, eclipsed by the wave of Fall-Out Boy clones that followed on their heels (ugh). American Fangs breathe new life into that sound by infusing their post-hardcore influence with 90s pop songwriting; owing as much to Fugazi as the Foo Fighters.

“Le Kick” is here in all it’s glory, sounding more polished but with all the intensity it ever had. Other highlights include lead single “Pomona,” and the surprising sort-of ballad (well, as close to a ballad as American Fangs get…) “Sorry.” Singer Gabe Cavazos proves himself a frontman with some serious chops, going from a MyChem-esque yowl to a soulful croon in the span of half a measure. Drummer Micah Miller is the other star of the show, the rare punk rock drummer whose beats are as musical as they are powerful. The record’s been 3 years in the making, and we can only hope it wont be another 3 years before we see another.

Click HERE to download the album + head on over to AmericanFangs.net for tour dates.

– Words by Nathan Leigh