Washington, D.C.’s Cryptid Summer step fully into their own shadowy universe with Where the Earth Has Teeth, a debut LP that binds the jagged urgency of deathrock to the melodic sweep of classic alternative. What began as a one-off Cure tribute in the city’s DIY circuit has grown into a band fluent in both elegance and unease, with L Mazer’s commanding vocals cutting through Carni Klirs’ serrated guitar lines, Zach Wall’s driving bass, and Eileen O’Grady’s tightly coiled percussion.

Across the record, the quartet channel the theatricality of goth and the emotional grit of grunge into something that feels both familiar and newly sharpened. Songs sway between atmosphere and propulsion, balancing melancholy and clarity in equal measure. Where the Earth Has Teeth sits deliberately between decades—too tuneful to sink into pure gloom, too jagged to smooth into pop—carving out a dark, pulsing sound all their own.

Haunted yet immediate, literate yet visceral, Cryptid Summer’s first full-length stands as a defining statement from one of D.C.’s most compelling emerging voices. An essential document for anyone who lives where post-punk’s bite meets alternative’s heart.

Gorgeous pearl vinyl, limited to 150!