Marble Teeth: Caleb Jefson is a single-handed storm

This seemingly underground artist has shown a very intricate and complex understanding of the local sound. Though they are from Decatur, IL, a suburb about 3 hours outside the city, there is a certain twang of Chicago pulse in their music. Listening to a few of their albums showed me the different journeys their sound has gone on, and it’s truly inspiring to hear the growth within the writing. I was surprised to learn about the immense sound they are able to achieve with one singular member. Caleb Jefson’s passion for music is heard clearly through his lyricism and smooth arrangement abilities.

Their first album “Cars” (favorite song Funk Track) was released in 2018 and shows the beginning of a journey with influences sounding similar to The Strokes, with some more electronic influences. Within this album we begin with the familiarity and clarity of Jefson’s voice. The timbre of his voice really brings forward the tone of the story they are telling throughout the album. It’s a story of growth during school years. The influence of the world has on the journey of young people throughout their lives and the layering of the sounds on top of each other really rounds out that intention. The first track being High School Football Championship and the last one being Senior Citizens definitely defines the journey Caleb is conveying throughout the album.

In 2020 we were granted another album, “Park” (favorite song The Monkeys) which explores a bit more of a gritty tone throughout that was a pleasant addition to their repertoire. Introducing elements of harmonica also diversified the sound in a way that added a lot more meat to the storytelling of this album. Like most of us in 2020, you can feel the aspect of feeling frustrated and cheated throughout this album. Whether that was feeling spited by life or a person in it, that frustration was clear throughout. Though the songs only last about 2 minutes each, the messages are conveyed in a meaningful way in that short time. This album has a bit more of a bluesy feel to it with some Arctic Monkeys sounding influences. The intricacy of the lyrics shows a lot of growth from Jefson as an artist in the 2 year gap between his album releases and leaves the listener wanting more.

After releasing 2 more EP’s after his last album dropped, we come upon his most recent release, “8 More” (favorite song that shift) which I see as the pinnacle of his career thus far. This album shows me the potential that he has to go very far in this industry. The depth of the tracks on this album show his growth from the framework of his previous albums. The layering that is done creates clarity in the sound that we’ve been searching for in his music. Even in the flow of the album’s chronology is flawlessly executed. This album utilizes all of the successful aspects of his previous sound and brings forth a story that hasn’t been told yet, but as a listener we find ourselves clamoring for it. This album in particular makes me very excited to see what Marble Teeth will do with this potential and has me on the edge of my seat to see that growth. Thank you for sharing your journey thus far, Caleb. We can’t wait to see where you go.