Everyone needs a little shift in focus now and then to keep the pieces from flying off. Musicians especially need to keep the creative wheel free of grit and repetition, so when Black Wizard guitarist Johnny De Courcy announced his departure from the band earlier this year it was a surprising but likely necessary decision. What has come from this is Bad Teeth, De Courcy’s first solo flight on Green Burrito Records.

This five-song cassette EP is fairly different from the stoner rumblings of Black Wizard and finds De Courcy exploring a more gentle acoustic approach. Granted, the volume does reach a higher level once or twice. If you’re paying attention you can just hear shades of Wizard riffs in acoustic form, but generally this is a fair step in a new direction.

A couple of songs that appeal are the lead off track, “Andrea’s Song,” a short, bangin’ little ode to an adored love interest, and “Cherry Lane,” which starts off quiet but hits it hard as De Courcy gripes about them taking his fucking drugs and that he wants his fucking drugs so he can feel okay. Bad Teeth, though a little rough around the edges, is a really good listen. De Courcy is a fine musician who is now coming out as a fine solo songwriter, and with Bad Teeth I’m thinking this shift in direction was a wise choice.