3 out of 5

Label: Skin Graft Records

Produced by: Terms

Fun, impressive instrumental math rock, but a bit too sprawling to get a clear idea of what Terms may independently bring that’s new to the table.

I’m revisiting this from the future where I’ve listened to the band’s followup albums, and that does cast some interesting observations across this: the title track on this EP has a different drum performance (I’m not special for knowing that – it’s noted for all three tracks), and I’d say that brings the song closer to their second album, which has a bit more of an identifiably unique sound, versus their debut, which is very Don Cab-coded. Still, the ambient break in the track’s back half doesn’t do much for me – it doesn’t really effect a build and release vibe, and just acts like a pause before resuming.

The other two songs, as parenthetically stated, also have different drums then some previously released versions; these tunes rock (and are notably shorter than later Terms tracks), but again, as with the then-forthcoming album, tend to have sounds-like syndrome: Heal My Borings reminds me of Barriers & Passages-era Dysrhythmia to a T, at least in its opening salvo, and Who Will Save the World From Art? bears the Yowie stamp of guitarist Christopher Trull.

Of course, having an isolated blast of this stuff makes this syndrome a bit less worrisome, as the EP is more easily digested as two dudes jamming out some awesome math rock. From the future, where I can see how the sound has positively evolved, it’s even more exciting in that sense, and makes for a satisfying addition to their (hopefully) building catalogue.