EP REVIEW: A Fate Worse Than Loneliness – Showing Teeth
Simultaneously long-awaited and seemingly out of nowhere, SHOWING TEETH‘s debut EP A Fate Worse Than Loneliness introduces us to one of out most highly-anticipated artists of 2026.
Some listeners will already be familiar with Addison: the 26-year-old found popularity across vertical-video vocal covers recorded in her Honda Accord (because where else would you record a TikTok?), with said popularity and talent inevitably resulting in calls for original music. Having showcased versions of WHITECHAPEL, PIERCE THE VEIL and KNOCKED LOOSE from the front seat of the vehicle, SHOWING TEETH is Addison’s project. Since 2024 there’s been teasers and behind-the-scenes of what original music could sound like, with vlogs of recording sessions in March 2025 showing again how long this journey has been.
It’s clear from the offset that SHOWING TEETH‘s influences lie firmly in the progressive metal/ metalcore camps, and that’s not to say their sound is prescriptive. The opening track Bad Exchanges sets the mood immediately: high-pass-filtered vocal refrain repeating over dissonant FX-ridden guitar and caveman-esque drums, leading to screams that’d make a banshee weep. It’s evil, both sonically and lyrically.
Labyrinth was the first single we heard from SHOWING TEETH back in November of 2025 and perhaps established their identity from the off. The opening howl is feral and animalistic – apt considering the bared canines from the EP’s artwork. This is, in fact Addison‘s cat, Michael. Groovy riffs abound here, supporting the aggressive gutterals which, at the tip of a hat, leave space for cleans that whilst on the one hand could be called angelic, are melancholy and lamenting all the same.
Make It Out is the first of the brand-new tracks from the EP, and so far perhaps the most melodic of the release. It’s a more stable track than the previous two; a tad more “cookie-cutter” in terms of structure, but it’s sure to have crows singing back once it’s permeated the masses. It’s on Rip that the instrumentals in particular must be praised. Zach Munowitz‘s guitar work is stupidly fun and technical, and it comes as no true surprise from the style of drumming that Matt Halpern of PERIPHERY provided the goods for this release. Rip is another lyrically venomous track and the chorus is haunting, especially framed against the continuing deluge of riffs underneath.
Shallow Grave is another melodic earworm. The EP has established itself thematically at this point with self hate and acceptance, and this track gives us one of the big switch ups in the form of the breakdown callout: “I sacrifice my loneliness for something much worse, I beg a God for changes but I can’t be heard”. Addison’s introduction to heavy music reportedly came from her time at church camp so there’s undoubtedly a lot to unpack there, nevertheless the track will undoubtedly result in spinkicks and pushpits in the near future. We can’t wait.
A&0x1 is an interlude track, and whilst some have argued it’s disingenuous, it sets up the closer of Paradigm in a nice way. The softest track of the EP, Paradigm is a ballad. When listening to the whole thing on repeat it’s jarring to be thrown back to the damaging noise of Bad Exchanges. It’s most-likely to be compared with Constance from SPIRITBOX’s Eternal Blue, yet there’s also the cadence of PERIPHERY’s Lune. It’s a beautiful closing track, with the final moments acting like a bit of a rug-pull. A Fate Worse Worse Than Loneliness is, objectively, a strong release: it’s gritty, fun, and sombre where it needs to be, and enjoys the production quality that Zakk Cervini has built a career around.
Rating: 8/10
A Fate Worse Than Loneliness is out now via Republic Records & Spinefarm.
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