Tooth Gore’s ‘For Losers, By Losers’ was one of the best albums of 2025. The artist’s mix of melodic indie, surf rock, pop punk and 90s inspired alt rock created a varied but coherent listen, and at the material’s strongest, Kobi Joe’s command of a chorus was more than clear.

Judging by the first sounds to emerge from a new EP set for release in 2026, Kobi’s melodic gifts are actually getting stronger. The current Tooth Gore single, ‘Song For The Birdman’, opens with a mechanical rhythm and chunky guitar part that more than hints at a love of early Sum 41, and within a couple of bars, the huge guitar sound really grabs the ear. Dropping into a quieter verse, a recognisable voice and more of an emo inflected melody both call back to more familiar sounding Tooth Gore wares, but the promise of the introductory riff isn’t lost. Using it to power a chorus that blends a pop punk sensibility with a slightly grandiose sounding melody underscored by string sounds, the performer shares the biggest sounding Tooth Gore riffs and melodies to date, creating a perfect backdrop for a deep-ish vocal that really lends an emotive core to the piece.

The chunky introductory riff makes a return to create a very effective bridge between chorus and verse, and the second verse also adds a spikier edge via a vocal sharing a semi-spoken tone. Perhaps more than ever, this effortlessly conveys the slight feeling of angst that lurks below the surface of the best Tooth Gore tunes, but without detracting too much from a brilliantly accessible chorus hook.

With the help of some really tight drumming and those string sounds really lifting the emo core of this number, this plays brilliantly – potentially Tooth Gore’s most well-rounded track to date, escalating hopes for a great EP.

Check out the new video below.