Fat Mike's smart. This is the Swingin' Utters kinda-hard-to-find EP. IFA records (who put out the first Zeke too, if you're wondering) is now as extinct as cattle ranchers who like Oprah Winfrey. Guitarist Max has some cool liberty spikes, there's a Billy Childish cover "Devious Means", and the EP's good not only for nostalgic (1996, nostalgic?) and completist reasons, but by fuck, it's pretty damn rocking. The more I listen to the Utters, the more I like 'em because they're definitely trying new things--more like baking a fresh loaf instead of picking off the mold and trying to pass it off as new. Singer Johnny has a voice like a liquored up and full of valuable information uncle and the more semi-OK oi and street punk bands that clog up the review stacks, the more I realize how powerful the Utters, like the Dropkicks, are--you can feel they're looking to a broader horizon without changing into another musical suit. Cool shit. If you're hanging in the balance--new or old Utters: I'd go for the new and work backwards. I think they're getting better and better. (Tangent: it's music, that, for some reason, people feel compelled to fight when listening to. Not me, some people. Hmm). --Flipside (review by Todd)