When the needle first drops on this slab of vinyl, it’s easy to think, Oh no! Emo. It’s arty. I won’t lie to you. But it’s interesting enough to hold my attention for twenty seconds or so, at which point the song blows up into exactly what I was hoping to hear: fucked up punk rock. But that doesn’t last long, either. It starts to drift into something more. It’s arty. I won’t lie to you. But in a good way. Fiya have a lot in common with their fellow Gainesvillains, True North. The songs borrow a lot from Fugazi and Rites of Spring, but at the same time, they don’t sound anything like all the crappy bands that have been inspired by Fugazi and Rites of Spring. And, not that you can discern a word from all the screaming, but if you read the lyrics, they’re very intelligently written. This record is a surprise all the way through, and a highly recommended surprise at that.
–sean (Obscurist Press)