Amusement / ERRTH / Carnivorous Flower / FeverSleep (4-Way Split)

Having reviewed Amusement’s First 3 EPs Collection back in May (it was actually released in April), I was stoked to see that they had a new release out in the form of a track on a 4-way split.

As a recap, Amusement are a Portland trio comprised of John Wilkerson – Vocals, Stan Wright – Guitar, Matt Farrell – Bass and John Drislane on Drums and they have the honour of opening the record which they do with ‘Lost in Between’. As hinted at in my prior aforementioned review, what I love about Amusement is their ability to appeal to non-fans (like myself) of that whole Melodic Pegboy sound by adding in an extra dose of passion and raw energy. This track is no exception and as a bonus it embraces intelligent 90’s Post-Hardcore ala Cap ‘n’ Jazz and Bluetip. If this is a preview of how the forthcoming full-length debut will sound, I’m all in. A cracking start.

The next two tracks are from Philadelphia’s Errth who are Kevin Day - Guitar/Vocals, Tim DeMarco – Bass, Brian McClure – Drums and Eric Saylor on Guitar/Vocals. All are current and former members of Aspiga, Public Serpents, Reunions, and Seeing Snakes and prior releases include 2023’s Control / Sleep All Day single and 2025’s S/T debut full-length. The yearning vocals on ‘Control’ are reminiscent of The Descendents’ Milo Aukerman mixed in with a little of Hot Water Music’s Emo sensibility, and even a more robust Saves the Day. A solid track. Husker Du’s Warner Brothers era work, specifically final album Warehouse: Songs and Stories and tracks such as ‘These Important Years’ are what comes to mind on 'Sleep All Day', especially the Bob Mould style Guitar tone and Grant Hart drumming. This is less Punk and more superbly crafted Alternative-Rock/College Rock. My favourite of their contributions.

Formed in 2024, Carnivorous Flower hail from Virginia and feature Ben Snakepit (ex J Church/Party Garbage, Lou Hanman (ex Caves/Flamingo 50) and David Wuttke (ex Drunken Boat/An Uneasy Peace). As indicated by their name the band were named after a J Church song and were originally conceived to perform songs by that band, as a tribute to fallen leader Lance Hahn (RIP). They’ve since expanded their repertoire and put out a full-length debut album of original material just a few short months ago. They bring ‘Paranoia’ to the table which is a definite standout with the punchy DH Peligro drumming (Rawhide anyone?) and darker musical climes The Wipers Over the Edge era, superb. Finally there’s FeverSleep, Portland scene brethren of Amusement, and they are Matt Farrell – Vocals/Guitars, Mike Vera – Vocals/Guitars, Kenny Jewett – Bass and Drummer John Drislane. The quartet put out a S/T EP in 2023 and a brand new song Contaminator only a couple of weeks ago and here they are again with ‘Glassing’. In the UK the title is a reference to an unpleasant experience you’d want to forget, usually the result of a pub fight in which someone finds a broken glass or bottle being thrust in your face. Luckily FeverSleep deliver a far more pleasant alternative with driving Grunge tinged Punk along with a little latter day Killing Joke. The latter is due to the apocalyptic vibes, particularly the Jaz Coleman Vocal style delivery that draws the EP to a thrilling conclusion.

This split has not only affirmed my love for Amusement but has also exposed me to three brand spanking new bands whose work I would otherwise never of heard of, but who I will definitely be checking out now. Job well done I’d say.