Not to be confused with NorVa screamo act Currents, or the old Michigan emo band Current, Ottawa's Currents might carry some Rites of Spring influence of their own, anyway. Their 7", Eastern Mass is a trio of tracks with gravelly yelps and raw, colliding guitars.

Somewhat screamy, melodic punk/post-hardcore is the recipe here, with generally straightforward, clunky chugging along with stop-starts here and there. Actually, the "scream" isn't even that abrasive at all. The whole package is reminiscent of bands like Young Livers or earlier Planes Mistaken for Stars, and on its own it's promising stuff. Whether it's a slowed-down, sinister "ahhh"-backed moment of prickly distortion in "Good Morning" or the pounding march forward and more reflective guitar tones in closer "I Weigh as You Do", there's definite potential here.

Currents clearly don't sound like a fully developed unit on these three songs, but they're plowing through them with a thoughtful–albeit unrefined–sincerity. It's something good that could easily be developed into something great.

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Eastern Mass EP