The Dopamines play poppy Midwestern sing-a-long punk, that sounds to me like it could have been the long lost third side to the Digger/Weston Wilkum to Pennsylvania split 7”. Competently played, with perhaps a bit of spit polish, a busy bass line intersects peppy guitar that occasionally breaks into well-timed chugga chugga starts and stops while cue-the-background-vocals come in to save the day. This is the kind of thing that the 1996 me would have eaten up. 2009 me is looking for a little bit more than what the Dopamines have to offer here. Sharing the 7” with the Dopamines is Till Plains, who, like the Dopamines, are from Ohio, and also recall bits of ‘90s pop punk, though with a bit more depth, channeling The Jack Palance Band before meandering off into Hot Water Music territory. The two Till Plains songs here foretell potentially interesting future offerings from the band, and help carry some of the weight to give this 7” a passing grade. And it comes on a nice slab of blue marble vinyl, too. –Jeff Proctor
–guest (It’s Alive)