Civil War Rust / Squarecrow - Split
What happens when two of my favorite west coast bands put out a split? I buy it and enjoy the hell out of it, I guess! CWR was one of my favorite bands to see live back when I lived in the Bay Area and they continue to write great melodic pop punk about San Francisco and Oakland and their ups and downs that I love shouting along with ("How many pills will it take to cure everything!", "Maybe we're all lost and lonely, we fell in love without an exit plan!"). On the other side of the split, I can think of little more that I love than Todd and Kevin trading vocal duties back and forth on "Can't Sleep Gonna Die" or the great harmonies in the chorus of "Showing Teeth". These bands are the reason why I love being able to trot out to something like La Escalera Fest every year.