With their roots going back to the late '90s hardcore scene, The Casket Lottery have taken breaks throughout the years, but each time they release something new, No Echo's attention is undivided.
Going through the Kansas City, Missouri band's discography, it's clear that their sound has evolved with each release, with their more recent material leaning towards a slow-burning approach, wrapped in big guitar hooks, ethereal atmospherics, and not-obvious yet catchy melodic lines.
For their latest album, Feel the Teeth, The Casket Lottery have taken "a quieter, more introspective" songwriting path compared to their last release, 2020's Short Songs for End Times.
In this No Echo exclusive, The Casket Lotter guitarist/vocalist Nathan Ellis provides our readers with his track-by-track thoughts on Feel the Teeth:
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(Track 1) - “Nightsong”
"I had the bass line for this song kicking around in different demo forms for over 10 years and I could never find the next place to go with it. It always felt like a sequel to 'Real Fear' the door, and I had recorded it at Ed Rose‘s house shortly after the release of that record.
"At some point, Terrence found the chorus guitar part idea and it finally clicked. Lyrically, it’s about my sleepless nights. Musically, it’s Pornography-era The Cure with a Wipers chorus."
(Track 2) - “Echolalia”
"Like most songwriters I tend to dip into the same well on occasion. This is another song about being frustrated over wasted time. Realizing that we all go through so many unnecessary motions, forget to stay present, and run out of energy before we get to our passions.
"It started out as a completely different sounding song until we decided to try playing it like 'The Rat' by the Walkman."
(Track 3) - “Bell Penny”
"My oldest kid likes to spout off about weird history and trivia factoids that they have squirreled away. This song is named after one of those conversations. After recording it and following back up with them, they told me that they didn’t know what I was talking about. I may have dreamed the conversation and made up the entire thing.
"A song about trying to find the balance of staying informed in this crazy world and trying to maintain sanity. Not wanting to hide behind privilege but also not spiraling and destroying your own mental health."
(Track 4) - “Diamonds”
"A couple of years ago while on a camping trip, I had a full-blown panic attack. And when you have a panic attack, the scariest part for months afterwards is knowing how easy it is to go back to that place. What happens to me in those moments is,
"I have a fear of being trapped inside of my own head. Literally going crazy and not being able to find my way out of it. A musical sidenote, this is the only song I’ve ever written in this tuning, so it hasn’t been played live yet. I really like this song so at some point we will have to figure out how to make that happen."
(Track 5) - “From Now to Now”
"At some point when you start getting older, you realize not only do you not have any idea what the hell is going on, but that nobody really does. No one is really in control. I wrote this after watching Chernobyl and my brain broke."
(Track 6) - “Nothing Certain”
"Wake up, go to work, go to bed, pay your taxes, til ya die."
(Track 7) - “Shelley”
"Do you have to suffer to make good art? Stanley Kubrick‘s approach was to put his actors through hell if that’s what the part called for. David Lynch said that was horseshit. I hope David Lynch is right.
"This song is named after Shelley Duvall, who was tortured while making The Shining. Not only did she never recover, she was nominated for a Razzie."
(Track 9) - “On The Wing”
"Everyone knows that if you believe in yourself hard enough you can make your dreams come true, but did you also know that people who open restaurants see them close within the first five years 50% of the time? Great guitar sounds in this one."
(Track 9) - “Snake Dreams”
"This one I'll keep close to the chest for now."
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Feel the Teeth is out now via Iodine Recordings.
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