We Speak Music
Dead Tooth Drops New Single ‘You Never Do Shit’
In “You Never Do Shit,” Brooklyn’s Dead Tooth deliver a snarling, urgent post-punk single that distills their barbed energy into under four minutes of sharp-tongued wit and scuffed-up sonics. It’s a track that bristles with disdain—Zach Ellis’ vocal delivery is acidic, at times theatrical, and often more spoken than sung. There’s a punk rock immediacy here, but with the knowing wink of someone who’s watched the scene curdle and still wants to dance through the ashes.
The song began its life in a different medium—written for a fictional band on City on Fire—but the real-life iteration carries more weight. There’s a palpable satisfaction in Ellis’ decision to reclaim it, and that freedom seeps into every detail: the unkempt rhythm section, the jarring saxophone lines from John Stanesco, and the deliberate looseness that characterizes its structure.
Dead Tooth are at once participants and commentators in the culture they inhabit. Their songs are alive with noise, but also with intent—tracking the psychic hangover of nightlife, subcultural collapse, and underground scenes that burn bright and disappear too soon. Ellis’ lyrical observations land like tossed-off critiques, but underneath the smirk is something deeper, almost desperate: a desire for connection, even through chaos.
With their debut album looming, “You Never Do Shit” feels like a thesis statement. Not just of sound, but of ethos: reject slickness, embrace noise, tell the truth—even if it’s ugly. In a year when punk has mostly whispered or wandered, Dead Tooth has chosen to scream.
We Speak Music
Christian Balvig releases gorgeous new album ‘Find And You Will Seek’ in collaboration with Ensemble Hermes.
Acclaimed composer and arranger Christian Balvig is known for his work with an array of artists and bands like Jade, Efterklang, Lowly, When Saints Go Machine and Mew, as well as his work with some of the most acclaimed orchestras like Royal Northern Sinfonia (BBC Proms), The Royal Danish Orchestra, Copenhagen Phil, London Contemporary Orchestra, The Danish Radio Broadcast Orchestra and The Norwegian Wind Ensemble.
The cinematic sound on his new album might echo Balvig’s work in the world of film and TV music. Scoring the 2025 Oscar shortlisted short movie ‘Eternal Father’ and the Danish hit series ‘Cry Wolf’ (Ulven Kommer), which has been shown on television in more than 30 countries around the globe, including Channel 4 in the UK. He was also nominated for a Harpa award for ‘Best score’ last year at the Berlinale for ‘The Son and the Moon (Min Arv Bor I Dig)’.
Balvig’s new album, ‘Find And You Will Seek’, backed by Danish string group Ensemble Hermes, grew organically out of this background of experiences and is music that appeals to listeners seeking original, immersive music with space for reflection and contemplation.
‘Find And You Will Seek’ is a collection of chamber works that explore the combination of piano and strings in new ways. Recent single ‘The BirdSuite II – Praesentia’ is part of a 3-part Suite running throughout the record, written and performed on a custom made “Keybird” piano, which is an una-corda (one string pr note) piano that gives a more subtle and intimate sound. On top of it is a lush and emotional string ensemble arrangement with Ensemble Hermes in multiple layers fluctuating in and out of the keybird piano.
Balvig’s second single from the record is ‘What Happened To The World’, an ultra transparent neo-classical inspired piece, with slow melodic structures, a simple chord progression and emotional performance starting with a floating viola solo. It is written from the feeling that the world sometimes goes backwards, and you feel left on the platform wanting to take the train in a different direction.
From film music inspired pieces to experimental chamber music over piano concerto inspired movements, to more neo-classical productions with almost orchestral sounding dubs of strings, ‘Find And You Will Seek’ flows with emotions and lush sound worlds, always with a tangible organic texture.
Find Christian Balvig and Ensemble Hermes on tour in Denmark:
27.5 Ansgars Kirke (Odense)
28.5 Folkegaarden Festival (Aalborg)
29.5 Gnisten (Ry)
30.5 Musikhuset (Aarhus)
1.6 Basement (Copenhagen)
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