Labels: Tiny Engines
Review by: MH
This one was kicking around the internet as download only two years ago and has now been remastered and pressed as a 7inch by the folk at Tiny Engines and follows up on 2012’s outstanding “Broad Shoulders” full length. I had that record down in my top 10 of the year and these tracks stand up to that record following a similar blueprint. The song titles are full of references to smoking weed and also basketball – not that I recognise many of the names but the internet certainly helps. If they’d gone with 80s or 90s footballers or the Panini sticker album of 1986 then I might have been more familiar with them – Charlie Nicholas! Brian Kilcline! Derek Mountfield! It was the energetic and infectious opener “Scottie Spliffen” that had me hooked first time around and same again this time but I like all four songs. I dig the raspy vocals leading them as well as the guitar interplay and the way this sits on the borders of punk, emo and and indie rock. The original version of this had some pretty cool samples from “Freaks & Geeks” which sadly don’t reappear here. However, those versions are still on the band’s Bandcamp page so give that a go as well if you like this.