Before they moved to California and had to change their name, Riverfenix rocked out the Houston, TX punk scene with its fast melodic mix of pop-punk and '90s skatepunk sound. This record came out in 1996 and I remember really liking this EP, their debut release from Fuzzgun Records.

There is nothing complicated about the music these guys play here. It's very simple and straightforward and very catchy. The guitar parts are very simple; the drums are nothing special; the bass is basically inaudible; and the vocals are OK, although they are too low in the mix unless they are doing a harmony. The lyrics are hit or miss, although I think I thought these guys were pretty funny when I was a kid.

The production on this EP is very raw. The mix really does leave a lot to be desired, but back in 1996 it was still pretty expensive for a young band with no money or fanbase to put out a record. In a way, the production helped these guys by giving the sound a sort of edge to it, which is nice especially considering the way over-Pro-Tooled recordings they would put out later on.

Five out of six of these songs were re-recorded, so even if you've only heard the Fenix TX re-release of their self-titled debut, you've already heard most of this EP. If you manage to get your hands on this it's a fun look back at a band who at one time had so much promise.