As we speak to Pianos Become The Teeth guitarist Mike York, he is preparing to tour across the States alongside Gainesville noisemakers Frameworks and New Jersey’s Gates. “We leave tomorrow for a week worth of shows for the release of the record. Just gearing up, getting prepared, starting to pack and stuff,” he tells us with both trepidation and anticipation in his voice.

For Pianos Become The Teeth, this isn’t a typical tour. Although the logistics remain the same – “we’re trying to make sure all the merch is where is should be; where the vinyl should be,” – York is critically aware of the uncertain public reaction to their new record, and indeed the possible reaction to their new musical direction in a live setting.

“This is a nerve-racking one for us,” York admits. “We’re playing a bunch of songs we’ve never played live before. It’s making sure they are all rehearsed. It’s trying to work out all the kinks before we actually play the show tomorrow.”

On their latest record ‘Keep You’, Pianos have limited the heavier approach of previous material, instead opting for a more introspective sound. Durfey’s signature screams have been replaced by emotionally charged croons, while the atmospherics that began to leak through on the likes of ‘I’ll Get By’ or ‘Hiding’ have been pushed to the forefront. With it, York and the remainder of the band are being viewed through new eyes, scrutinised by their own fan base.

“We were definitely expecting it,” York responds when asked about the reaction to the band’s change in direction. Although predominately positive, for fans of the band it has certainly become a major talking point. “I was hoping that people would see the record as just a record, as opposed to looking at it as a big change. You can’t deny that if you have a drastic switch at something that people are going to latch onto it, but the hope is that once the shock of the stylistic change settles in, more people sit back and take in the record as a good record.”

For York, the change is style is simply superficial. Previous material had hinted at their more subdued approach, and the band never comfortably fit inside the hardcore scene that had originally housed them following the release of ‘Old Pride’.

“To us, when we wrote it, we never really thought it was a huge switch. We felt like people had heard ‘I’ll Get By’ and ‘Hiding’, and this is just an extension of that,” York expresses his surprise. “There’s a few songs we wrote where we noticed it was a lot more subdued, but it still sounded like us. I feel like it was never a huge shocker to us. It was more of a shock that other people thought it was such a big switch as opposed to the last record.”

Change is a necessity within a band. As York contemplates, rehashing the same record is the quickest path to stagnation. On ‘Keep You’, Pianos Become The Teeth have followed their natural progression – one that has seen them move label from Topshelf Records to Epitaph, and one that has subsequently encouraged more coverage.

“Some people probably view our band differently, thinking that we signed to Epitaph wanting to appeal to more people,” York accepts, yet for him the label move and direction were never part of a bigger plan. “The fact is this record was written before we had a label, a booking manager or an agent. We were on our own in the middle of a cabin with our bassist’s family just writing songs. We thought that if nobody releases the record, we would just put it out because we were excited about it.”

“Epitaph had such a huge reach,” he goes on to explain the reason for the label shift. “They have so many people working for them getting the record in areas and places that we’ve never been able to do before. They have such a huge production line of people helping out to build the record.”

Mike York is adamant that getting the record heard is paramount. It is almost irrelevant how the public reacts to the material, as long as they have the opportunity to make that decision. Epitaph has opened doors for Pianos Become The Teeth, regardless of the unpredictability waiting on the other side.

“We just want people to hear it,” York states matter-of-factly. “If that means we are playing huge festivals because more people have heard us, that’s awesome. If it means we are playing to 200 kids in a club, that’s awesome too. We don’t have any expectations. We want to be the biggest band we can, but we will never do anything that sacrifices any artistic integrity. We will always be who we are as a band, otherwise there’s no point doing it.”

In essence, ‘Keep You’ is an involuntary statement. It’s the output of a band who are keen to develop and to evolve, yet one that is rooted in creative freedom. “Epitaph were so excited about it that it seemed like the right move for us,” York explains more of their relationship with their new home. “They have tons of cool ideas that line up with what we already enjoy. They are treating us like the band we were six years ago. We have all the creative decisions, the final say. Everything that people hear, see, wear… it’s all us. It all passes through us.”

With that in mind, ‘Keep You’ is an album that puts Pianos Become The Teeth on display. It tests the waters, and in doing so welcome the fans further into the fray. “Obviously we don’t want to alienate people,” York concedes. “We want people who loved the last record to love this record. We want to be able to get our music out to as many people as people, whether that means they love it or hate it.”