Two Perth bands with the same drummer recently made their way around Europe. It's always good to have something to tour behind, so they each recorded two tracks and called it a split. I'm not sure if this exists in physical form, and if so it may be available at venues only. Luckily, there is digital.

Aborted Tortoise Ghoulies EuroTour Split (Goodbye Boozy Digital)

Both bands owe pretty much everything to early 80s SoCal punk, with Aborted Tortoise sounding more like very early Bad Religion and Ghoulies a bit more Circle Jerky (with brittle keyboards, just for fun). The distinctions are largely meaningless, though. These four songs are fast, aggressive and packed with just enough melodic intent to bring smiles.

Oh, and they're really short. This whole set blisters by in less than eight minutes. Sometimes less is more, and these four tight songs are a wonder. Play it loud when you need a last jolt of pleasure as summer fades. Sometimes there's no need to complicate joy.

Jon Worley