A new Split System release is always a major event here in the 12XU sphere even if it's "just" another 7". Speaking of which, while their LPs always strike me as their more substantial works making room for more intricate compositions and a greater sense of melancholy, their short-form artifacts are overflowing wells of delight in their own right, usually presenting a more straightforward version of their craft that just wants to rock out and no doubt works best on that particular format. And they keep it that way here as well, the a-side On The Edge being a forceful streamroller of a track built around a single rock'n'roll riff as old-fashioned as it's ever gonna get, all of which would be kinda easy to shrug off if it weren't for that absolutely unforgiving, vigorous and tight-as-fuck performance plus the always brilliant, heartfelt barking of vocalist Jackson Reid Briggs, coming across as equally defiant and vulnerable and adding an even greater sense of urgency to the tune. An equally simplistic and compelling counterpart is the flipside On The Lose, a faster, more uplifting track that perfectly balances out this neat little package.
Bristol's Möney took their time to find their bearings as a band but after their 2023 demo showing lots of promise and last year's tape with SPRGRS serving as evidence of further progress, everything perfectly clicks into place on their newest EP thanks to the most carefully fleshed-out set of tunes so far, their both psychedelic- and post-punk-leaning take on contemporary eggpunk really shining here with a forceful performance and comparatively slick production values, at long last propelling them into the genre's big league in a sonic sub-niche that sounds like very much their own little thing. That said, i'm pretty sure admirers of grops like Molbo, Prison Affair, Winky Frown, Electric Prawns 2 and Beta Máximo will get a lot of joy out of this record as well.
The sound of this Ciudad López Mateos, Mexico group remains kind of a singular, curious mixture on their third demo even in the colorful anything-goes context of the current eggpunk scene, feeling a bit like a flashback to the more melodic ends of the mid-to-late eighties punk rock spectrum - early pop punk artifacts that hadn't lost their abrasive edge yet, being given a thorough and fuzzed-out lo-fi makeover here and enriched with a perfectly measured dose of quirky, charming synth action altogether making for an irresistable bundle of pure sugary bliss.
