Swingin' Utters

The Librarians are Hiding Something [7-inch] (2012)

Joe Pelone

Considering they went away for seven years, it's a wonder fans are getting more Swingin' Utters now, let alone so soon after 2011's Here, Under Protest (which is to say nothing of the members' assorted other projects). With another record already in the can, the band is going the single route with Fat Wreck to drum up interest. "The Librarians are Hiding Something," taken from a forthcoming new full-length entitled Poorly Formed, picks up where Protest left off.

That is to say, a little slower and more deliberate. A little less punk and a little more straight up rock. Regardless of how one labels it, "Librarians" is a solid track. Even though the Utters have tweaked their sound over the years, there's still a pretty fair set of expectations at work here. Luckily, the band does not disappoint.

B-side "Rude Little Rooms" is the last song the band recorded with ex-bassist Spike Slawson (of Me Firsts and the Gimme Gimmes), and it's somehow even more laid back than "Librarians." The Utters are gradually easing into middle age, at least, compared to their other bands past and present. With Poorly Formed due out next year, the band's future looks good too.