Review Summary: Poetically inspired by this steady growing fire
Brevity, for all intents and purposes, is a perfect tagline for The Story So Far. After all, their short and fast, hard-hitting songwriting is what made them so popular in the first place. The songs the band writes and performs never tend to drag, saying what needs to be said exactly the way it needs to be said, and moves on to the next set of words without stalling for a moment's breath. With all that said and done, this split between the band and another lesser known one called Maker embodies the mentality of short and bittersweet with flying colors.
The Story So Far kicks the door down to introduce themselves on the first half with highlight “Brevity”. Lasting barely under a minute, the track makes sure to get right up in your face to showcase a newly inspired The Story So Far. Complete with tight guitar and drum work, the track makes a worthy intro that seamlessly transitions into an early version of fan favorite “Mt. Diablo”. This version, while not as rich or tightly performed as the one found on the band’s debut album, is surely the highlight of the first half. The song shows off a stronger vocal effort out of Parker and a stronger effort out of guitarist Kevin Geyer with smooth and meandering guitar riffs leading the track in. “680 South” is not one of the stronger The Story So Far tracks, but it showcases a very strong lyrical effort out of Parker. Lines like “My thoughts are my doctor's excuse for medicine but I find it healthy to get lost inside my head” are definite gems.
Maker, not to be outdone, kicks off and finishes the second half of the split with two very strong tracks. “19 Maple Street” is a straight pop punk banger, coming in with quick and hard drumming and very tasteful punk riffs. Just listening through the track once makes it a no brainer as to why Maker and The Story So Far are on the same piece of work. This split is the last piece of work The Story So Far released before their debut album in the spring of 2011 and it shows in terms of quality. It’s an overall fun jam and very much presents a preview of good things to come from both bands.
