No Sleep, 2010

Balance & Composure somewhat inconsiderately steal the show on this eight track split; the quintet have hiked up the intensity of their driving, emo-touched rock some considerable notches, and it’s an impressive thing to behold. Fellow Pennsylvanians Tigers Jaw’s four contributions are a more modest affair – in a bare-boned indie-punk way – but are very solid in their own right, if not quite living up to their stellar predecessors.

Creator-Destructor, 2010

The debut from California’s Seahaven takes influences from both Brand New and Crime In Stereo, but ends up sounding like neither. This is a good thing – their melodic indie-punk mixture has its own infectious and somewhat downbeat character, which avoids drowning in its gloomy waters due to the frequent injections of youthful buoyancy. Very promising.

No Sleep, 2009

I’m still uncertain about this one – on one hand this four track 12” could comfortably fit the slick, modern post-hardcore bracket, on the other there’s murmurings of more depth below that commonplace surface: 90s emo-indie influences, a sureness of songwriting, an adventurousness in the progressions. A full-length will be the litmus test.