Deathcats & New Swears – Split EP

The transatlantic union between Glasgow’s Deathcats and Ottawa’s New Swears is a grunge-punk Christmas come early. With four tracks apiece, this split EP is two bands sharing a love of fun, restless fuzz. It’s also not the first split with Deathcats on Fuzzkill, having ridden shotgun to Manchester’s Fruit Tones earlier this year on Thplit Tape, and both EPs shine in their straightforward allying of kindred sounds.

Here, the Canadians proffer plenty reverb beside their wailed vocals (Scru Bar’s House has actual screaming) and impatient drums (when you’ve got 2-minute-long tracks called Satan Loves You and Sloppy Blackout you’ve got no time to idle). Scotland matches their fervour, crafting walls of noise with the defiant Liquid Gold and the confessional Sprint. The cooing You has a big Stateside quality to it, and in the end it’s the Cats who provide the muscle, but the Swears know when to flex too.  [George Sully]