Smooth Tooth is the project of one Rahul Jogdand out of Aurangabad. His sonic palate is extremely clear, and his artistic identity seems to be very deliberate; the music released under this banner deals mainly in the ‘alternative’ scene of the late 90s and early 2000s. This was a time when introspective, layered and non-obvious sounds (at the time, at least) pushed their way to the front of the mainstream, inspiring the indie scene that followed shortly after. ‘Puppy Love’, the artist's latest single, proves the potency of that time period in music in general. It's also a really good rock tune, which seems to be getting rarer and rarer these days.

This song (the fifth single from Smooth Tooth this year) combines a range of elements that work well together. The simplicity of the writing and melodies is very inspired by The Strokes; in fact, the vocals in particular toe the line between inspiration and lip service, but they're done really well. All of that is then instantly contrasted by the production, which is a strange mix of lo-fi and indie influences. There's a drum sound that is cold and metronomic, and there's a guitar sound that is heavy, distorted and absolutely chock full of texture. Put some keys, bass and an acoustic guitar to fill in the space, and you have an overall arrangement that sounds compelling in spite of being conventionally imperfect, and that is exactly the aesthetic that made Smooth Tooth’s inspirations as important as they were. 

‘Puppy Love’ thrives on this balance of imbalances, and it results in a song that has so much more value that just a melody with a groove behind it. Rahul's vocals are mixed extremely low, the guitars are blaringly loud when they come in and almost take over the song, and there's still this through-line of wistfulness and melancholy that ties it all together. Not many artists in today's hyper-produced era of Instagram Reels-able 2-minute hits are making music like Smooth Tooth is, and that merits a great deal of praise. And listens. Many listens.