Guitars, Drums, Tones, and Saxophones

The Shortcuts - 30 Pack

Huzzah! As some of you might remember, I really liked the debut album from Minneapolis’s the Shortcuts. It was one of my favorites from last year, and remains so. And now, they’re back with an EP of new material. I was pretty stoked to hear about it. Of course, one proceeds to wonder, will it hold up to the self-titled album?

The answer is a resounding “yes.”

First of all, the EP sounds great. The music is a bit louder and cleaner overall than the self-titled album. According to the liner notes, it was recorded in their practice space, which goes to show that you can record an awesome sounding record just about anywhere with the right knowhow. The cover art is once again by Mitch Clem. The packaging is worth noting: the whole thing is folded up, with a little velcro holding it shut. Upon opening and unfolding, one is greeted with a scene of the band in a barbershop of sorts. Anyway, the whole thing is sweet.

And then there’s the music itself! Which, make no mistake, rules. I’d say the differences found here are akin to the progression the Gaslight Anthem made from Sink or Swim to the Senor and the Queen EP; there’s growth here, musically, but it’s not a radical departure from the sound found on the debut LP. The band is still kicking out great, catchy pop-punk, but the sound here is a bit more diverse; the surf guitar sound on “Omaha,” for example.

This EP is great. I would recommend it to anyone who heard even just a single song from the debut album and enjoyed it. Hell, I’d recommend it to just about anyone who likes fun music in general. ‘Cause once again, this band has proven to be really good at what they do.