I need something to give me my second wind. I’m tired but have too much to do to be this tired already. Although the cover of The Cheap Cassettes’ ‘See Her In Action!’ is fairly straightforward, there’s something about it that screams energy to me. although it’s only five songs long, this may be just what I need to get a second wind to power through the rest of the night.

As soon as “See Her In Action!” took over my speakers, I was greeted with the retro-rock sounds that I have come to expect from acts on Rum Bar Records. I loved it. Although I was expecting a female vocalist just due to the cover (there I go, judging an album by its cover again), I didn’t mind the pop punk-drenched male vocals that were pumping through my speakers. Although definitely, a garage-punk feel to this opening track, it’s not a harsh recording. It feels well put together and well mastered. Some people may hate the way this sounds but I think it matches the almost The Ramones punk style of the track.

I love the old-school guitar riff that kicks off “Only Lovers Left Alive”. That riff is played through a couple of times before the pop-punk vocals come back in and take over as they did for “See Her In Action”. This track has a super classic sound beyond the retro garage-punk vibe. There’s just something so familiar about this track but it doesn’t feel overdone and I’m having a hard time placing who to compare this track to. Regardless, it’s a great track and I had to listen to it a couple of times before I could allow “Lil’ Bit Everyday” to take over.

“Lil’ Bit Everyday” is far too short of a song for me. It’s just a hair over two minutes long but it was an instant favorite of mine. I love the edge that this song brings to the forefront. It’s an edge that I heard in the previous tracks but it never seemed to take the spotlight as I wanted it to. This is a driving track and, even though it’s short, to begin with, the steady drumming makes this track just fly by.

Closing out this quick EP, or “Maxi-Single” as the cover says, are two tracks played live. Both “Valentine” and Red Line Blue” were turned up to as high as I felt my speakers could take. These not-so-perfect recordings (not-so-perfect recordings– the songs are great) are raw and real and hot damn they make me miss going to small shows at shitty dive bars so much. I could almost smell the stale beer as these two tracks played through and I could feel the strangers bumping into me. I honestly wanted to cry as I listened to these two songs if I’m being completely honest. Regardless, ending this release on two live tracks was a huge selling point, and not only can I say that I love The Cheap Cassettes now, but I can also say that I truly can’t wait until I have a chance to catch these guys live.

My Favorite Track(s): “Lil’ Bit Everyday”

For Fans Of: Retro Pop-Punk; Stale Beer Covered Dive Bars

Dance-ability: 7 out of 10

What My Cats Thought Of It: Autumn ate dinner; Artie slept upstairs

How Badly I Want To See This Performed Live: 9 out of 10

My Overall Rating: 7.8 out of 10

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