Liverpool, England meets Toulouse, France, on this split 7-inch, and although being separated by approximately 706 miles as the crow flies over land and sea, both bands bring a love of bands like Husker Du, Leatherface and Dinosaur Jr. to the fore, with songs laden in a fuzzy quality that has quite a nostalgic feel to it. That's not to say either band is eagerly looking back in time for inspiration but they acknowledge what has pushed them to where they find themselves now.

First up is BUZZorHOWL, made up of former members of Drive and Jailcell Recipes, bands that were popular back in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The new unit is closer to Drive in terms of musical output, blending melody within a waterfall of guitar, and is confident enough to include an instrumental, "Overesque," as one of their two songs on the single. It's no real surprise that both tracks are pretty good as Drive knew what was what twenty years ago, and it's good to hear that nous remains firmly intact all these years later. The sooner this band records an album, the better.

Chestnut Road show that the French are no slouches either in terms of writing some decent tunes as they hit the ground running with "Dust," a mid-tempo harmonious gem which highlights just how good this band is. They follow this up with the equally appealing "Swallows Flight" and what is clearly evident is how "English" they sound, more so in terms of the music than the vocals. Chestnut Road has recorded and released an album (also out on Brassneck), and it's well worth checking out if you like what's on this single.