Labels: Rorschach Records
Review by: Andy Malcolm
Brainworms seem to be on a bit of a roll at the moment, with several recent releases. This one sees them spew up two songs of herky jerky hardcore. The vocals are quite peculiar, sort of hoarse, yelped and rather at odds with the rolling guitars and melodies that are more reminiscent of early Van Pelt or something like Braid crossed with Assfactor4 perhaps. It’s an interesting combination, and one that I have never heard attempted before. The second track, “Not Heavy Just Awkward” eases out of the gate before belting into driving melodic hardcore with the shouty vocals fitting the music a little more. Hectic! And definitely more awkward than heavy. I enjoy the bands ability to blend the intensity of hardcore with the melody of emo, the band is definitely out of the ordinary but probably only will appeal to dorks with similar taste in music to me.
Dynamite Arrows is a new band to me, and they bounce through two tracks of catchy, melodic punk rock, hanging out somewhere with bands like Latterman. It’s straightforward, a little a bit rough, and nothing out of the ordinary. Enjoyable, but lacks the extra spark to make it stand out from the crowd for me. I could easily see this band doing a split 7″ on Snuffy Smiles with Blotto.