City of the Weak – Pulling Teeth – Record Review
By Vince Andreasen
I am always excited to hear new music coming out of the Minneapolis area. Artists from the Twin Cities tend to take a unique approach on whatever style of music they create. City of the Weak is no exception. Their seamless blend of alternative, pop, and modern rock elements is truly unique, and I can’t think of another band to directly compare them too. You would assume a female fronted rock band with pop-centric melodies would sound akin to bands like Paramore or Evanescence. Yet, despite some musical similarities with Paramore, City of the Weak provides an entirely different listening experience with Pulling Teeth.
Their music is hard driving and edgy, yet incredibly clean. The drums, bass, and guitar are in constant unison regardless if they are hammering out syncopated rhythms or just holding a steady groove, and Stef w/ an F’s vocals lay atop the music effortlessly without any unneeded vocal theatrics. There is no screaming, growling, rapping, or guttural nonsense throughout this record and it still manages to kick you square in the jaw.
Pulling Teeth opens with three consecutive rockers. Initial track Like I Do drives hard and doesn’t slow down between the first and last notes. Trust Nobody follows with it’s angst driven energy and an incredibly catchy chorus. And, Glad You Could Make It is a little more pop centric and is sure to be crowd pleaser live. City of the Weak recently released a video for the 4th track Not This Time, which is a very well crafted alternative pop song with another infectious chorus and very radio friendly.
For me, the highlights on Pulling Teeth occur in the 2nd half of the record with tracks Censor This, Ungrateful, and Drag Us Under. Censor This is a real standout with constantly shifting rhythms a chorus that will certainly have people jumping along with their fists in the air. The verses on Ungrateful follow a choppy, creeping up the stairs, type of rhythm before building into a catchy punk-pop chorus. And, Drag Us Under is another hallmark tune, perhaps my favorite on the record, with a killer pulse and deserves an immediate spot on modern rock playlists.
Pulling Teeth closes with the electronic infused Suffer Like Me and ends with the musical outro Pulling Teeth.
Overall, I am thoroughly impressed with City of the Weak’s first full-length release. The production quality and musicianship is outstanding, and Stef w/ an F’s vocal approach is unlike anything else on the radio today. My only minor complaint is I found the record to be too consistently clean. This band has so much angst and grit that occasionally feel glossed over at times in the recording, and in those moments I would personally like a little less spit-shine and a little more spit. Make no mistake, this is band to take notice of, and Pulling Teeth is definitely worth a serious listen.
The album was produced by Craig Owens being engineered, mixed and mastered by Jordan Disorbo.
Preorders bundles are now available at: https://www.
City of the Weak are:
Stef w/ an F – Vocals
Brent Lindblad – Guitars
Cody Hoffman – Bass
Follow The Pit on Facebook, Twitter & Instagram!
Support this and other fine local & touring artists, dig their music, and buy some merch!
