Labels: P U
Review by: Alex Deller
Here is the thing: the people playing in Hot Snakes are, at this point, so good at what they do that they can do it with their eyes closed. They crash out a song or an album or a live set and you know it’s gonna be absolutely pro. It doesn’t necessarily have the fire in its guts the same way The Early Stuff did, but there’s enough there to keep you involved and ensure you remain wriggling on the hook. So you pay £25 to see them in a venue that charges £6 for a beer and then after a few of those you figure why not pay £10 for a two-song 7″ because, y’know, it’s Hot Snakes. It takes a while to dawn that this must be the post-hardcore equivalent of going to see Bad Religion or The Cult or something, but that’s for the morrow when you’re going through your wallet wondering all that money went. So the one song here is taut and angsty and borderline anthemic and has Rick Froberg straining away at his neck tendons for the duration while the other is a jittery little nervebag that’s better than kinda okay but if it wasn’t on an album you wouldn’t miss it but as a B-side you have to give it more attention than you might otherwise. It’s all solid and enjoyable and you slide it in place alongside the other ones and you only remember you have it when you see it’s worth how much? on Discogs.