by Charlie Pecorella (@oatbituary)
What came first, the chicken or the egg punk? Does it matter? As long as there has been a scene, there’s been a energetic, hyper, musical urge to crack the skull and see what cooks. On this six track split, Nashville’s super Snooper and Barcelona’s pummeling Prison Affair kick off hot squirrel summer with their wild-eyed, transcontinental EP that’s calling all freaks from their panting dens.
Last year, Snooper’s debut album was welcomed with critical acclaim to match their craze; in the aftermath, they continue to raze fans with flash singles, including a recent Devo cover. Snooper splits open this collaborative collection with three previously released tracks “Company Car,” “Waste,” and “Online,” recorded on a Tascam 48 in 2023. Vocalist Blair Tramel’s sing-song delivery operates in odd-sync with “Company Car”’s otherwise spitting immediacy. Itchy, grimy antics on “Waste” fuels Snooper’s characteristically frantic storytelling. For carpel-tunneled mouse-clickers, the euphoric minute and thirteen seconds that is “Online” channels the World Wide Web, and all its false wisdoms hailing from digi-bit kingdoms.
With a few tapes and a split with Research Reactor Corp tucked under their belt, Prison Affair already has egg punks pining for an LP. Currently, the band thrives on weekend escapes and transcontinental escapades, where their short discography riles up diverse crowds. Taking a stab at this split with Snooper, Prison Affair presents “Algo Huele Mal,” “Apuñalamiento (pero Entre Colegas),” and “Quizás”. Heavy on drone, their opener is heart-scattering, scratchy, and booms like a body out-of-order. It’s a warning you don’t quite catch in time but worry about all day, or a “bad smell” stuck in your nose that actually smells kind of good. “Apuñalamiento (pero Entre Colegas)” is a startling, jivy track with an unexpected, classic rough-and-tumble, rock n’ rock breakdown barreling down its center.
The highlight of this split is Prison Affair’s “Quizás,” with an ominous, 90’s video game core sound that speaks the language of a Frankensteined Dance Dance Revolution. It claims an unplaceable, floating synth sound, and vocals that just barely cut through the background to emulate a naggy villain. This fantastic effort from Snooper and Prison Affair, released by Under The Gun in the US, Big Love in Japan, and Static Shock Records in the UK, is a reminder to support independent artists and labels, and to stick it to the chickens of egg punk.