This four track split (each band contributes an additional acoustic number available via the accompanying download) helps highlight why both of these bands are garnering a lot of attention within the punk world, with strong contributions to add to previous works, indicating that learning curves were still being traversed as improvement was evident for both NONA and Crow Bait.

NONA particularly caused quite a stir in the punk rock world last year with the release of their debut album Through The Head (due for a re—release shortly) whereas I'd already got slightly hot and bothered over Crow Bait's debut single back at the tail end of 2011.

NONA's approach is relatively simple with the trio offering up some bright and breezy tracks which are most notably based around Mimi Gallagher's youthful vocals and fuzzy, pop—punk guitar sound. That's not to ignore the input of bassist Nick Harris and drummer Pat Ware, but it's clearly Gallagher who provides the main focus. If I'm honest, I wasn't that enamored by the debut album although I only heard snatches so it would be unfair to judge the band from such a brief introduction. I do, however, like the tracks on here as both fizz along nicely; the second track "Fast" has a lengthy intro which is barely audible, but once that concludes, the fizzing commences so I need to revisit that long player.

Crow Bait are quite a different proposition and there's a slightly more experienced hand (or six) guiding the band although when this came out (February this year) they were still a group on the rise (the two main tracks on this single are good but they pale in comparison to the recently released album, Sliding Through The Halls of Fate, which shows exactly what Crow Bait are capable of). There's more of a crossover of rock and punk here, with an emphasis on a melodic delivery and both tracks on the single are good markers for the band's progression.

A decent single for the point in time that it was released but both bands have more in them, which is being evidenced even now just five months on. This is definitely worth picking up especially as it will help to appreciate the progression in full.