4 out of 5

Label: Taste Media

Produced by: Dave Sardy, ?

Drug Dog Handler and Keep It Away are both great tracks, they just don’t pair as well with Day By Day as the singles do on CD1.

DDH does, this time, sound like it could be from the same sessions as No Push Collide, sharing the same shouty shout breakouts and meaty bass as the Dave Sardy produced session.  …Which makes it a bit excessive as a followup to the shouty, meaty Day By Day.  The effect on the disc is rather jarring, actually, the track cutting in right away, and the effect doesn’t have a chance to dissipate before some looping and effects shush us into Keep It Away.  Keep It Away is actually a damn fine song, perhaps one of the most well-rounded – build-up, production-wise, lyrically – of all of Serafin’s recorded material, but that makes it an odd man out.  It lacks the easy-in easy-out of No Push or the punk-rock manicness of To The Teeth; it’s much more patient than the latter and much less alt-rock grunge tribute than the former, while maintaining Ben Smith’s passionate vocals and the group’s strong rocking interplay.  So, yes, perfect candidate for a single.  And I’m glad to have Drug Dog, CD2 just feels more like odds and ends vs. the pretty seamless set of CD1.