The Rubber Teeth Talk by Daisy the Great

You may remember Daisy the Great from when their 2023 sophomore album, All You Need Is Time, was (#29 on that year’s Top 31). I’m excited to report that their follow-up, The Rubber Teeth Talk has the band focusing in on what they do best, to great effect. When I wrote about their last album, I dubbed the band “First Aid Kit without the twang.” But I don’t know if that description holds true.

The pop-songs-with-great-hooks mentality is there, same as it always was. But the depth of Daisy the Great’s lyrics and the skill with which they execute their songwriting has become richer, sharpened to a fine point. When I listen to the album, I can tell something has changed that brought out this new feeling, but I couldn’t point at anything in particular and say “there – that’s why it’s better.” However, while researching for this review, I discovered one wonderful reason: DtG brought in the big guns to produce this record. Catherine Marks, who co-produced my #1 album of 2023, boygenius’s the record, figured out how to bring out the best of lead singers Kelley Dugan and Mina Walker and their quirky, wonderful harmonies.

Beyond the harmonies, Dugan and Walker know how to craft a hook. The opening track on the album, “Dog” (featured above), a listen. That, and “Mary’s at the Carnival,” are solid indie-rock gems. “Ballerina” is fun and makes me bounce off the walls, a rocking Courtney Barnett-esque song from another dimension

“Bird Bones,” with its repeating chorus “She was just back in town, where’s my friend where is she now” sounds innocent enough, until you realize they’re singing a heart wrenching line about a lost friend. The caption accompanying the instagram post about the song said “written in memory of our dear friend, Stephanie Rae Shafir, who passed away Feb 26, 2023. All of the drawings in the video are hers.”

I love that Dugan and Walker are starting to explore more interesting / trippy ways to build out their dual voices. They’re becoming masters of a musical technique called “hocket,” which is difficult to describe in words (and equally difficult to perform, I’d wager) but easy to understand when you see if performed. Check out their cover of Suzanne Vega’s venerable 80s song, “Tom’s Diner,” and you’ll get it immediately immediately. I had the immense pleasure of getting to hear them perform the song live, back in September.

The energy and excitement Daisy the Great bring to indie rock is infectious. I can’t wait to hear what they do next.

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All You Need Is Time by Daisy the Great

Many bands will be new to the Bacon Review when they show up in the 2022 Top 31, but the honor of being the first new band on this year’s list goes to Brooklyn-based Daisy the Great. The six-member band is led by dual lead singers Kelley Nicole Dugan and Mina Walker, and my brain categorizes them thusly: smart, hook-driven pop; First Aid Kit without the twang.

All You Need Is Time is the band’s 2nd album, and it’s a happy, upbeat pivot from a lot of the other “serious” music you hear (and love!) coming out of our pandemic malaise the past few years. Daisy the Great’s debut, I’m Not Getting Any Taller, came out in early 2019 but completely missed my radar. The band rose to internet fame in 2021 when their very first released song, 2017’s “The Record Player Song¹” became the object of a viral “one breath challenge” on TikTok. Users created 20,000+ videos featuring the song’s chorus, which generated over 270 million aggregate views on the app.

I believe that makes Daisy the Great the first TikTok-famous band to hit this blog, but TikTok is not how I found them. My friend Ryan Spain² introduced them to me, by way of a musical puzzle. He shared that he had been playing the opening track (shown in the video above) obsessively for a few weeks, and had surprisingly unlocked a massive easter egg in the song. As a fan of puzzles, and of the art of making music that has a literal deeper meaning that can be discovered upon multiple listens, I’m not going to ruin the surprise for you (but ask directly and I’ll happily reveal). I will not be surprised if you happen to fall in love with the song upon repeated listening, or because of the discovery itself, or both.

The band has been prolific when it comes to the visual side of music. In addition to the “Time Machine” video above, there are seven additional videos for six other album tracks:

“Record Player” with an additional animated version, performed with pop trio AJR
“Glitter”
“Cry in the Mirror”
“Easy”
“Aluminum”
“Liar”

Check them all out, as they’re clearly gifted in song craft as well as creating candy for the eyes. And then go listen to the rest of the album, it’s worth it.

^{1. Not to be confused with another non-album single called “Record Player,” the reimagined version of the TikTok hit that appears on the Deluxe Edition of All You Need Is Time and features the same choral hook as the original.↩}
^{2. Ryan’s been mentioned numerous times on the Bacon Review over the years. He and I met across a friendly poker table nearly 20 years ago, and it was his advent-themed Top 24 music list that he compiled annually in the 00’s that was the catalyst for what become the Bacon Top 31. Ryan continues to help with the production of this Top 31 — the Spotify and (new this year!) YouTube Music playlists exist because of him. If you like that those playlists exist, or really even that the Bacon Top 31 exists, you can thank Ryan directly on Discord at username GoingOptimal#3697. ↩}

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30. Cool It Down by Yeah Yeah Yeahs
31. CAPRISONGS by FKA twigs

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#21 on the 2025 Bacon Top 31 — Daisy the Great

#29 on the 2022 Bacon Top 31 — Daisy the Great