The Arrivals / The Brokedowns

You got peanut butter on my chocolate! You got chocolate on my peanut butter! That pretty much sums up the tasty mesh when you combine these two Chicago-land bands onto one split 7-inch. The last three years have been a major revival for Chicago favorites the Arrivals. Paddy of Dillinger Four took over the reigns on bass guitar for the Arrivals and the band was finally able to churn out what I consider to be my favorite release of 2007, Marvels of Industry, on Recess Records. Last year wasn’t too shabby for Elgin locals the Brokedowns, either. They released the hard-hitting New Brains for Everyone on THICK Records and played a relentless amount of great local shows. This split is just further evidence that these two bands right now are unstoppable.

The Arrivals start things off with three powerful songs, two from Lil’ Dave and one from Issac. All three songs sound like they would have fit comfortably on Marvels of Industry. “You Make Me a Creep” is my favorite track from their side -- it has a perfect pop-punk melody with melancholy lyrics. And while the Arrivals side is great in itself, it is the Brokedowns side that really shines the brightest on this split. Upon first listen to “Stop Snitchin',” you’ll be hooked. I’m still not completely sure on all of the lyrics to “This TV Runs on Diesel” but that hasn’t stopped me from singing along to it at the top of my lungs every time I listen to it.

Overall, the person who thought of putting these two bands together for a split 7-inch deserves some kudos. Both bands contribute three great songs and their styles fit perfectly together for a split. If you don’t live anywhere near Chicago but want to know what the big deal is about these two bands, this might be the perfect introduction to get you hooked. Before you know it you’ll want to hop a train and move to the windy city.