Ale Mania/ Sauna Youth - Split

This is a pretty interesting release. I got the Women/Fair Ohs/Cold Pumas/Friendo split these guys put out not too long ago, and this is the next offering from that series of splits, this time pairing San Diego post-punkers Ale Mania with Brighton/London's scrappy noise pop scoundrels Sauna Youth. The Ale Mania side kicks off with a short song and then follows it up with a longer one. They play quite synth-heavy and smooth post-punk. It kind of reminds me of that Ghost Eyes single we got in a few months back, there's that same kind of spooky, detached feel even though the songs are pretty catchy and slick. Flip it and the Brits are representing with a couple of noisier songs. There's still an organ going on here, though, and loads of effects on the vocals. Business Lady reckons this side was probably recorded by Matt J of Hookworms fame but I have no evidence to back this up. It does sound good, though. The melodies are simple and effective and there's a general comforting wall of noise, like they're applying the lessons learned from shoegaze to a more punk style of songwriting to fascinating effect. I'll certainly be keeping an eye out for these guys in the future. Both sides of this split are good, but especially the Sauna Youth one.