Sinking Ships' Ten 7", consisting of three new songs and a Seaweed cover, is solid. This is both pleasant and mildly disappointing, as both Disconnecting and their newer songs on Meridian were so earnest and overwhelming that only an absolutely incredible batch of tunes could be acceptable following them. We could argue for hours whether or not the band has already hit their peak, and while Ten might argue that idea's unfortunate affirmation, it still finds Sinking Ships crafting some of the best melodic hardcore via Pacific Northwest stylings the scene has given us the past five to ten years.

Ten begins with perhaps its best track, the energetic "Irish Wristwatch," which immediately barrels forth with Danny Hesketh cruelly yelling "it's never anybody!" and eventually confessing he's "felt this hatred for so long." It's got a couple well-placed dance parts and a perfect, angry sing-along to conclude it. It flows perfectly into "Twice," which begins with some lines delivered in catchy form by Hesketh and hints of that gorgeously emotive guitar tone the band gave us so generously on Meridian. However, once the song reaches its mid-section it sort of loses your interest, and only sporadic moments of what should've been the EP's emotional centerpiece, "Wallingford Is Still Doomed," are all that captivating.

They adapt their style to a cover of Seaweed's "Losing Skin," proving the Sub Pop act's faster tracks make for great hardcore punk covers. It's one of the EP's standouts and perfectly matches the original's urgent opening.

Ten, while possibly Sinking Ships' least accomplished material since their demo, is still an enjoyable, fluid release -- at their worst, they're still definitely better than most.

STREAM
Irish Wristwatch