Pianos Become Teeth "Keep You" LP

Keep You, the third album by Baltimore post-hardcore heroes Pianos Become the Teeth, finds the band at a sort of crossroads. Eight years into a career that had them labeled as poster children for the scene's new wave, they've signed on to the roster of storied indie Epitaph, which will no doubt garner them much wider exposure. While the temptation to build on the heavy, desperate angst of their well-received 2011 release The Lack Long After must have been great, they've chosen a different path, altering their successful formula to deliver a more subtle, contemplative, and melodic album. After all, screamo is a young man's game and the sound of throat-rattling anguish can only be used so long before it begins to feel like theater. While Keep You couldn't be considered lightweight by any standards, singer Kyle Durfey has ditched his patent emo howls for a more mature tone that brings a sharper focus to the band's songwriting and arrangements, rather than its attitude.