BEST NEW MUSIC: 3TEETH - PUMPED UP KICKS

If someone told me ten years ago that I’d be listening to an electro-goth cover of Foster the People’s “Pumped Up Kicks,” I’d be like, “Yeah right.”  Then if that same person proceeded to explain to me what the song was really about: kids running away during a school shooting, I’d be like, “Okay, maybe that makes more sense. That’s at least more of an electro-goth concept.”

Foster the People’s version of this song is straight up bubble-gum indie-pop. In the original, the content of the lyrics never quite lined up with the mood of the song. Maybe it’s this misdirection that helped the hit work so well, but after listening to this version a couple of times I’ve come to a sort of conclusion that maybe it doesn’t matter what tone this track is going for at all-- maybe it just works because of how good god damn of a song this is.  3TEETH offers this complete paradigm shift version up to demonstrate what it would be like for the song to actually fit the lyrics. And the truth is it TOTALLY works as Industrial too.

3TEETH - PUMPED UP KICKS

The year was 1998 and and industrial ‘death-pop’ act Orgy dropped their cover of New Order’s “Blue Monday.”  Is this the 2019 version of that moment?  You bet your fucking black wearing ass it is.  3TEETH are an Industrial band out of Los Angeles, CA that have the kind of sound that could bring heavy rock music back to the radio. Is this a nu-metal resurgence for 90s kid throwback thursday?  Pumped Up Kicks” is the final song (13th! Unlucky!) on the band’s forthcoming LP, Metawar.  Sometimes all it takes is well-timed cover for the world to pay attention to a band that hasn’t been getting enough attention. If anything, bringing pop back to industrial has us here at We Are: The Guard fiending to explore the band’s first two records, 3TEETH and <shutdown.exe> before diving in to this album. 

Is it just me or does lead singer Alexis Mincolla totally have a Marilyn Manson vocal thing going on?  Am I basic for that suggestion?  I’m sorry that I’m not well-versed enough in death pop to do better.  Is that the point?  Is this cover genre hopping, audience spanning? Am I supposed to know anything about Industrial or is this the opening for more we’ve all been secretly looking for? Who cares, let’s just half-tempo headbang to this one with the homies. 

[Image labelled for reuse from Wikimedia.]

From deep within the murky depths of the Los Angeles River emerged a creature: 50% raver, 50% comedian, 10% Robotcop. Kurt Kroeber doesn’t own a dog, operates Soundbleed (the world’s only dance party comedy talk show rave), and is down to party with you. Come up some time and say “Hey dude!” But definitely make sure to casually drop the secret Illuminati password.