For Ex Friends, it’s all about pace. There’s little time to wind down from the early riffs in the May-released Animal Needs EP, the band’s fourth release. The four songs lined up on this record reverberate, giving you an irresistible urge to bounce – at times a little breathlessly while singing along to the group chants, and of course, frontman Joel Tannenbaum’s raspy vocals.

The Philadelphia band is reminiscent of Leatherface at times and echoes RVIVR on Red Bull. If providing a seven-minute burst of energy was the objective of Ex Friends’ latest release then they’ve hit the nail on the head, as it surges throughout.

The balanced vocals in ‘Don’t Do It Like That (Do It Like This)’ allows bass player and singer Audrey Crash to chant all about those things you really are. It’s easy to get caught in the rapid mantra in ‘Word Police’, despite Tannenbaum’s insistence to shut up, while final number ‘Fadeage’ has a more slow burning, mid-tempo feel, complete with a smooth saxophone line, ending the four-track EP on a more emotional moment.

This is a quick dip into the sound of Ex Friends, but the last thing you’ll want to do is stop listening.

– Amanda Starling