Hayden Elrod, who performs as ELROD, released his first record, House Fires And Broken Teeth, a methodical and well-crafted record that combines both analog, industrial, and regular indie folk sounds to craft a raw and earnest piece. His 2025 debut album is a tight 40 minutes, featuring mixing and mastering from Nashville locals such as Cam Row, as well as mastering and engineering from Hayden Tumlin at East Iris Studios in Nashville, TN. Released via Face Plant Records, this focused debut takes an introspective look at fragmented pairings, isolation, burnout, and self-doubt, all with well-crafted, indie folk soundscapes.
The first track on the album, “You Animal,” quickly sets the tone for the experience ahead through its vulnerable fragility and somewhat puzzling lyricism. The song begs for interpretations, featuring lyrics that intertwine to create juxtaposing positions and seemingly contradictory ideas. In some moments, it seems to address possible affection, others complete adherence and disdain, which is especially apparent in the chorus, “You can’t escape the easy way / You had it all / You animal.”
Compared to the album’s introduction, “White Noise” takes a softer approach at first that winds into an ever-evolving space. Around one third of the way through the track, it suddenly transforms, evolving to take on a more industrial sound that offers a nice sonic contrast. Analog recordings further elevate the sonic atmosphere as ELROD muses, “I’m stuck inside this box all day / I never hear a word you say / white noise gets in the way.”
“Cauterization” begs for a fire to burn ELROD and his presumed muse together. As he sings, “What you gonna do, babe? / Jumping out the window isn’t gonna prove a goddamn thing,” he laments on the ability of said muse to escape the cauterization of the wounds that seemingly tie them together, a sympathetic yet dark reflection that holds its own weight. Instrumentally, the track evolves across its roughly three-minute runtime, adding piercing guitar notes and snapping snares that weave the listener in and out of its internal reality. Many of the tracks across the record follow simple yet effective acoustic melodies, evolving further with additional instrumentation. ELROD’s voice cuts through with a searing earnestness, lamenting over perceived closeness and cuts to the heart, which have pushed that earnestness further back down.
Closing out the pensive and deeply methodical album, “Glad You’re Here (For Nana)” feels like the final sealing of a wound that persisted and festered. Reflections like “it’s not that bad anymore” suggest that ELROD’s ailments have ebbed away or, in the very least, that they don’t hold the same aching pain as they once did. But as deep as wounds go, it does seem as though there’s a prickling, bittersweet soreness in absence. A padding backbeat keeps time as the singer muses through the track, offering appreciation and gratitude that aptly concludes lingering pain from previous songs on the record.
As a project, House Fires and Broken Teeth holds complexity due to how it tackles its core themes. At times with ferocious vigor, pleading for resolution or possible contentment, and then during other moments with a distance that holds its listeners somewhat far. Almost every song on this 13-track album features unique sonic textures, whether that be cutting winds, soft padding strings, or ever-changing percussive beats. On songs like “Empty Houses,” listeners can still hear ELROD’s fingers pressing against the strings before snapping them to reality. That quality, alongside the singer’s gravelly, raw vocals add to the sense of dynamism present with each track. And with references to burnout, growing up, masculinity, and betrayal within attachment, it takes moments both to bite and soothe with its subject matter.
With the complex sound that deeply enmeshes itself within contemporary indie folk, albeit with its own well-thought-out shifts, House Fires And Broken Teeth crafts a sonic portrait — dark, enchanting, magical, and haunting — all with succinct brevity.
Listen to “You Animal” from House Fires And Broken Teeth and follow ELROD on their socials below.
Written by Rachel Joy Thomas
