Given that they've been quiet for a while, I sometimes forget how much I love Cloak/Dagger. The Virginia hardcore band drops bullshit-free, Stoogey tunes of a most righteous quality. They even have good taste in record labels! Which is why I feel ever so slightly guilty about liking Highway Cross. Featuring (former?) Cloak/Dagger members Matt Michel and Colin Barth, Highway Cross continue that band's style, to the point that I feel like I'm committing audio infidelity.

Run Dry offers up four tunes on seven inches of vinyl, simply and expertly. The recording quality is a little cleaner that the graininess Cloak/Dagger favors (think Smoke or Fire), but the heart is still there. While nothing can quite top the joys of screaming "STAY WASTED" (I don't care how straight your edge gets, them shits is tru punx), Highway Cross still hit a sweet spot.

That's the biggest strength ‘n' weakness of being a no frills rock band. Highway Cross delivers a 7-inch that doesn't stray from a tried and/or true path. If you like opener "Ringing in My Ears," you will like closer "Run Dry." It doesn't matter which side you spin first; you can use the digital download code to play the songs in any order. But while that means there's a lil bit o' homogeny at play, it also means you cannot fuck with this formula. Coupled with this very punk rock 7-inch format, you cannot deny the tru punx qualities that are inherent. And, really, isn't that what makes our stupid lives tolerable?