Shapes Have Fangs releases album

Loitering in front of their recording studio, Laguna Studio, in an East Austin suburb, the members of Shapes Have Fangs look like they're ready to go on stage right now.

Their moody, restless demeanor suggests life is just a series of agonizingly long interludes between recording sessions and shows. Or maybe, after honing their craft for six years, they're just anxious for their debut album to be heard by as many virgin ears as possible.

An audio cassette of their debut album Dinner in the Dark has been available since October in local record stores, and everyone else can enjoy this bare-knuckles rock ‘n' roll experience in digital form on March 8. They will host an album release show on March 10 at the Mohawk.

The songs defy easy classification. They're a raucous blend of garage, punk, and rhythm and blues.

Each member (brothers Skyler and Evan McGlothlin, Dustin Coffey and Josh Willis) brings their own style and musical interests to bear, and the result, in a word, rocks.

"I think we get into trouble because of our sound," said Coffey. "Labels want to be able to call us garage, but it's not like we all sit around listening to the Nuggets."

However, finding their current sound wasn't easy.

"We've probably performed 40 or 50 original songs as a band," said Willis. "We could have had a greatest hits album out by now."

It took years of performing together and experimenting in the studio before they felt ready to commit to an album.

Dinner in the Dark has a distinctly live sound with distorted vocals and vivid spatial effects that transport listeners to a dingy roadhouse show.

This is due in large part to the efforts of recording engineer Gian Ortiz, who helped the band realize their vision in the studio.

Skyler McGlothlin credits Ortiz with taking Dinner in the Dark to the next level.

"Gian is probably the biggest reason we have that live recording feel," said Skyler McGlothlin.

When it comes to recording methodology, lo-fi is a religion to Shapes Have Fangs.

"We record on tape before bringing audio over to the computer," said Skyler McGlothin. "It works especially well with certain instruments like bass and drums."

As to whether hosting other acts in their recording studio has influenced how Shapes Have Fangs sounds, the band says it works both ways.

"Artists will hear our music, and that helps them decide if we'll work well together," said Coffey. "It's a collaboration."

It's also helped Shapes Have Fangs to have a record label backing them.

"Reverberation Appreciation Society has been great about pushing us to perform and tour," said Coffey.