4 out of 5

Label: Auris Apothecary

Produced by: Ex Fauna

What could a band like Ex Fauna do with a full length release? The hyper-hardcore screamo of their first EP and the comparative pop of their second single has further evolved into quite an oddball thing of Microwaves-esque herky-jerk and Cavity scrawls of sludge, with the duo’s punk sound as an anchor. Because each track on here switches things up a bit, it’s hard to get a final “read” on things – Ex Fauna’s debut moreso had an identifiable sound, and that’s true here as well, but the drapery keeps getting switched out. So on a full release… that’s pretty exciting, to imagine how some quality sequencing and consistency could give us something pretty durable.

Blue Moon steps slightly into experimental electro, like a late-Brainiac thing, on opener Frequency #U27, with Mechanical God a tightened up version of the pop-punk of RIRHS, making it another top song for the band. The title track is where you get some really fascinating sludge moments between punkier verses, and Swinelickers is has a post-hardcore vibe – a DIY version of something you’d hear on Hydra Head, like Keelhaul. Wild.

The digital comes with a rawer version of the opener.