In new song “Hammerhead,” Slow Teeth has a taste for blood.

The new band, comprised of Justin Ellis (bass, vocals, keys), Jeremy Haire (guitar, vocals), and Robert Chamberlain (drums, synthesizers), describes itself as a “post-rock” trio that is heavily influenced by the likes of Radiohead, Sigur Ros, and Pink Floyd. On new ripper “Hammerhead,” though—premiering exclusively on the INDY Week website today—the no-frills punk influences of bands like Black Flag and the Dead Kennedys shine through, as Ellis intones “There’s blood in the air / I can taste it, too / like a meal that’s not quite ready” in an energetic, frenzied flash of electric guitar. 

“Hammerhead” was recorded live in two takes at Sonark Media, a new recording studio in Hillsborough; it was directed by Joshua Collins and mixed by Steven Raets. 

Slow Teeth opens for HOLY FAWN and Astronoid at Cat’s Cradle Back Room tonight; they’ll also play later this week, on September 9, at a Crank Arm Brewing Hopscotch Day Party and on September 13 at Longleaf Hotel with Timothy Eerie and Dream Phases. 

Listen to “Hammerhead” below. 

Support independent local journalism. Join the INDY Press Club to help us keep fearless watchdog reporting and essential arts and culture coverage viable in the Triangle. 

Comment on this story at [email protected].

Sarah Edwards is culture editor of the INDY, covering cultural institutions and the arts in the Triangle. She joined the staff in 2019 and assumed her current role in 2020.