3 out of 5

Label: Do Tell Records

Produced by: Various (going off of Lost Marbles credits, where some of these songs reappear)

If you’re wondering how 7 songs fit on a 7″… yes, most of these are snippets, and not necessarily full songs. They’re not unworthwhile snippets, of course, coming from John Schmersal, but nonetheless, the vibes here are more Long Play than a set of singles.

Each side has what I’d say is one “full” song, surrounded by concepts. On the A-side, that’s Believe or Deny!, which is a poppy little number that could be a stripped down version of something on High Society, while B-side’s song, residual cat hair, is an amped up rocker with a distorted vocal, recalling either Brainiac or, perhaps more closely, Hocus Pocus-era.

A-side’s Normal is happening / The Sting is in the Pudding (more like two parts of a song than separate ones) are Believo! beats and weirdness; Infinite Ways’ morose tone and distortion reminds of John Stuart Mill. The snippet vibe feels even stronger with B-side’s extras, perhaps since Residual Cat Hair feels like a fairly fleshed out tune – both tracks are again of the Long Play style of genre mish-mash and manipulations.

Not necessarily a repository of gems, but a nice set of early Schmersal ideas, seeing what sticks.