Various Artists
UNFUN/Despite Everything - Split EP
Hahaha Cool! Records (2012)
It's always cool when bands from opposite sides of the world do a split together. It worked great for Thursday and Envy. Here, we have UNFUN from Canada and Despite Everything from Greece. Both have a different brand of dirty punk-rock. In the case of this split though, the Canadians lost. UNFUN's songs have great material to dance and sing-a-long to. The only problem is the quality of the recordings are so muffled and hard to understand that it ruins the listening experience. You can just barely hear the vocals and at times you can barely even make out what they're playing over the distortion. I know it's kind of their thing, but if they cleaned it up just a bit it'd be so much more enjoyable. Despite Everthing's half of the split is much more sharp. The first track, "If You're Going Through Hell," It's got a bit of a Hot Water Music influence going on but a tad heavier. Their second track, "Roads Unfold," takes a different approach. It's catchier, picks up the pace, and more anthemic. Both bands had good material, but Despite Everything had the better recordings and saved the split. It's a shame since UNFUN … Read more
Aaron & The Sea
Cloak & Dagger EP
Independent (2013)
Aaron & the Sea have come a long way from writing dinosaur-themed ballads. The Minneapolis band formed in 2008 when … Read more
The Julie Ruin
Run Fast
Independent (2013)
The onesheet drops the term “subversive pop.” While the term may apply lyrically, musically The Julie Ruin is more ‘80s … Read more
