Sweet tooth, chipped teeth: local songsters Tuffcookie pour some grit into the mix

The process of making music requires some sort of copacetic relationship between all the ingredients in the mix. Baking metaphors aside, local songsters Tuffcookie are keeping things gritty as they write tunes plump with catchy riffs. Resting somewhere between punk and rock, making a brief nod to Joy Division while flirting with a garage sound and a hint of grunge, Tuffcookie have found their stride.

The quartet consists of Hicham Illoussamen on guitar and synth, Josiah Toufexis on bass and guitar, Marie Tilbe on guitar and bass and Reuben Bouza on drums. Illoussamen and Tilbe share vocal duties, their distinct timbres complementing one another. Tuffcookie started to materialize in 2008 when Tilbe and Illoussamen became roommates in an apartment with a shower stall so tiny, anyone over 5’7” would have to crouch for cleanliness. Tilbe began showing her songs to Illoussamen, who offered to provide accompaniment. Both musicians were paying the bills serving sushi, where they met Bouza. This would turn out to be the germinal moment for the band, with Toufexis joining soon after to round out the roster.

After putting together a solid hand-crafted EP, Tuffcookie spent a good year cutting their teeth by playing a range of gigs. Though things have been a bit quiet in the recent past, the band returns to the stage next week at Divan Orange, with what promises to be a kinetic set. On stage, Tilbe stands out, maintaining a modest confidence with a touch of butch swagger. Her voice sways between the huskiness of Linda Perry and the lilting whisper-turned-holler of Pet’s Lisa Papineau. On the subject of making music, Tilbe remarks that she identifies with a punk ethos, and that she wants to be represented “without any fireworks.” While the band’s live aesthetic is relatively stripped down, this never detracts from their ample sound.

Seeing Tuffcookie perform, it’s clear that pyro techniques, metaphoric or otherwise, would be pointless. Tilbe’s powerhouse vocal presence can tether an audience in no time. Likewise, on songs like Skinny Jeans and Monsters for Hire, Illousamen’s knack for writing infectious hooks feels like a revelation. As of late, Illoussamen says that his artistic process is concerned with change. “I’ve been writing about how distant I've become from my past and the ideals that once defined me.” Regardless of intermingling themes of metamorphosis, desire, joy, loss and anger, Tuffcookie’s live show is always visceral and raucous. All you have to do is listen.