It’s not every day that a song smirks at you, but “BETWEEN YOUR TEETH” by Halo Kitsch manages to do just that.
The latest release from this DIY powerhouse blends cheeky confidence with razor-sharp self-awareness, offering a melodious journey through jealousy, societal pressure, and finding your footing in a world of filters and facades.
Recorded with a smile so wide it hurt her cheeks (literally), this track is equal parts taunt and triumph, with a punchy delivery that feels like a high-five to your inner teenager and a wink to the person you’ve become.
A big congrats on the release of ‘BETWEEN YOUR TEETH!’ Can you share how it feels to release this particular track compared to others you’ve released in the past, like your fan-favorite, “All (Your) Fault?”
Thank you! I always experience such a range of emotions surrounding a release. Funnily enough, I was the absolute least stressed for “All (Your) Fault.” It was my first time uploading and releasing anything, and I totally botched it. I found it online three days earlier than I’d expected and just let it ride with a laugh. I have been a nervous wreck on release days ever since, and “BETWEEN YOUR TEETH” is no exception.
“BETWEEN YOUR TEETH” delves into themes of envy, societal expectations, and self-reflection. What do you hope listeners feel or reflect on as they listen to the song?
I usually say, “I’m sorry you can relate” to people who find a piece of themselves in my songs, “but at least we relate together.” <3 This case feels a bit different, though. The song shifts from a state of jealousy to a state of pity/empathy/criticism and finally to a state of confidence, empowerment, and assurance.
I hope it’ll meet its listeners where they’re at and pick them up, sort of carry them to the feeling of freedom at the end. I hate to say it. I think if you get it, you’ll get it. My wish is that listening makes them smile, that they shake off bullshit throughout their day humming “la la la la,” and that they’re reminded to celebrate what makes them unique. They might not be flawless, but nobody’s ever met someone quite like them.
Your vocals in “BETWEEN YOUR TEETH” carry an almost taunting quality. How did you approach the vocal delivery to match the intensity and attitude of the lyrics?
Aha, cute of you to notice. I brought Ben Zelico the first verse and chorus only a week or two after having written it, and we started a demo that day. So we were writing and recording simultaneously,y and I think there’s always a rawness reflected in something so fresh. Ben and I had so much fun making this track. It’s far lighter and more puckish than our work often is. I have a video of me literally cheesing into the microphone as we were recording. There was this inflection in my voice that Ben didn’t like as I sang, “Isn’t that sweet?” He said I was sort of giving away what was next, and I remember lamenting that holding back was so difficult with all the excitement and knowing what was coming in with the beat. I left the studio on a high that day, with cheeks sore from smiling. For most of the song we used that very first take, pure giddiness.
The music video for "BETWEEN YOUR TEETH" features some striking visual metaphors. What inspired the concept, and how does it connect to the song's themes of envy and societal pressure?
If only I dressed cool, if I was confident enough in my body to show skin, if I didn’t care about the rules, if my skirt swished effortlessly as I walked… I had a lot of those “ifs” as a teenager. But I know damn well by now that having the perfect beachy wave would not cure my depression or pay my bills. Nobody’s life is a movie; we compare ourselves to fiction. So yes, the embodiment of my idealized self steps on my CD, the most sacred thing to me, like it is garbage - but we also see these little cracks in her.
For example, the irony of her long acrylic-adorned thumbnail flicking a lighter that reads, “I might not be perfect, but at least I’m not fake.” It was my intention in both the lyrics and the video to highlight the flaws I’d created in my imaginary, so-called perfect rival. I did that for the sake of my 15-year-old self, who really thought that if she found the right mascara, her eyelashes would look just like the ones in TeenVogue, and then she’d have a date to prom. This song very much feels like a letter to her (little me)… like I’m retroactively healing her insecurities with this anthemic ode to all of her redeeming & endearing qualities.
There's an interesting contrast between you and the girl in pink in the bathroom and how your relationship parallels the raw energy of the song. Can you walk us through how you and your team developed this creative direction?
Well, the girl in the stall is me… but it isn’t me. She represents a past version of myself who felt out of place and unworthy and subpar, etc. Worse than that, she’s the part of me that harbors all this jealousy, shame, and self-pity.
The girl in pink is the physical manifestation of everything our protagonist wants to be: put together, self-assured, popular, stylish, confident, rebellious, and intimidating. And they have this interaction where we, as a third party, can almost tangibly feel the Venn diagram of what they have in common and where they contrast .. they’re just two girls looking into the mirror. (For me, the ultimate haunted house would be a lifetime-long room full of never-ending mirrors.)
We can feel the mood shift with our outsider in the stall from holding her breath to rolling her eyes to performing right into the camera. When the bell rings, the brunette turns, and there’s no sign that the blonde is ever-present. She’d created her in her head.
I really wanted the video to emphasize what I did in the song lyrics: verse 2 shatters the illusion of the girl we painted in verse 1 living this totally chic, effortless life, and suddenly, the girl in verse 1 doesn’t exist anymore.
Coming from a DIY background and hustling in LA’s music scene, what lessons or experiences have shaped your sound and approach to your career?
You can’t depend on anybody. People always leave. Some of the time, that’s just business. You have to love what you do alone in the dark because any light will taint it. Walk slowly, with caution. It’s Minecraft. Step by step, every step with a reason. The floor is going to fall out on occasion, but you have to keep going.
You are your own safety net, you have to be, you’ve got this. The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence - so don’t look. Keep your head down. One foot in front of the other. Sometimes, the race is about distance, not speed.
Many of your lyrics challenge societal stereotypes and expectations, especially of women. How do you feel about employing the role of music as a platform to push back against those labels?
I think one should use any medium possible to say what’s on their mind and heart.