5 out of 5

Label: Auris Apothecary

Produced by: Ex Fauna

Rhode Island Red Hot Sauce – that’s your acronym. The physical release… was a bottle of the hot sauce, with a download code for this song, which is a two-minute pop-punk jam – think a more DIY Hives – of the group reading off ingredients and praising the sauce.

Firstly: this is a great jam. The core hook is diddled with lightly for a bit before the lyrics kick in, and it’s certainly the most relatively “chill” Ex Fauna jam we’ve yet heard, though you get some screaming once we get to the ingredient list. Still, it’s a nice new dimension to add to the spazzier ones on the duo’s debut, and – even if only a single track – shows that there’s value in beyond the somewhat spontaneous nature of the band’s composing style; i.e. if they stick together long enough, it’s exciting to think of how else this sound could evolve.

Secondly: the hot sauce release. Simple, but probably the funniest physical thing Auris Apothecary has done yet.