Let’s Wrestle / Young Governor - Split 7”

Let’s Wrestle used to be a genre-defying band of shouty, angry young men who’d thrash about producing some of the most riotously refreshing punk-noise-pop in the UK. On their half of new shared single with Fucked Up’s guitarist Ben Cook, ‘Crushing Nerves’, they’re an entirely different beast. Where has all the anger gone? Where has the power gone? And most importantly, why the hell did they think that teenage lyrics like: ‘I felt like a dick and I felt pretty sick’ would do?

The London three-piece apparently first met Ben while touring the US together in 2009 and bonded over a certain appreciation of roll ups, the contents of which must have been incredibly strong judging by this bland, hazy-sounding and unimaginative new single.

Now we all know that Ben is a wizard on the chords effortlessly switching from Fucked Up’s noisey frequencies to more chilled-out sunny tunes on his solo material. His shared side of the single is called ‘Old Hat’, and displays Young Governor’s distinctively melodic mod pop: one part Mersey beat, one part first wave punk. It’s a more thought-through and well-crafted affair than Let’s Wrestle’s opening.

No bleeding heads here ala Fucked Up, maybe just bleeding ears after listening to Let’s Wrestle.