Off Day, Leg Biters, and Leevy Skeevy Split Review
From Salvaged Records, a label based in Gainesville, Florida, comes a straight to the point, no-nonsense split between bands Off Day, Leg Biters, and Leevy Skeevy. All three artists complement each other perfectly on the split, as each band’s sound bounces off each other well, and the five or so minutes that each artist has is more than enough to showcase their originality and talent. Clocking in at a breakneck speed of thirteen minutes and two songs per band, the split makes its’ point clear – Off Day, Leg Biters, and Leevy Skeevy have no time to waste, and they’ll provide some great tunes in the short amount of time they each have on the record.
Off Day gives us two tracks, “Frog Fight” and “Pig Stew” on the split. These two tracks are probably the most complicated of the totaled six, with “Frog Fight” having a smooth, almost swung intro with some groovy basslines before they go into their punkified, fast-paced sound that is immediately recognizable. The slower intro provides an awesome juxtaposition to the rest of the track, as Off Day blasts the listener through their experience with a past relationship as the instrumentation carries the song along with a sweet breakdown at the end. “Frog Fight” is also the first single from this three-way split, a great introduction to the different range of sounds on the record, showing that these three bands have a sound that will leave a lasting impression in the thirteen minutes they all have together. “Pig Stew” is a bit longer than the first Off Day track, showing a lot of elements from Midwest emo, with the hammer-on/pull-off guitar melodies and tumultuous drums that fill the empty space with plenty of crashes.
The next band on the split, Leg Biters, have a whole lot to say in the short two minutes they spend on the record. With their tracks “Out the Lodge” and “Roses”, Leg Biters makes the most of their time, telling stories about outside, getting high, spending money, and living life to the fullest while assisted by palm-muted power chords and incessant, nitrous-fueled drumbeats. The lyrics are honest and obvious, making Leg Biters’ two tracks on the split easy to digest and even easier to replay once it’s over. Some dentists say these two tracks can be a great substitute for singing “Happy Birthday” while brushing your teeth, in fact! (Disclaimer: no real dentists were consulted, but they do recommend two minutes of brushing.
Finally, the split is finished off with Leevy Skeevy and their two tracks, “Babble” and “Creeps”, which are equally high-tempo as the others, but their tracks are closer to the three-minute range. The production on these two songs is simple and very DIY, with the vocals having a megaphone-quality reminiscent of Surf Curse and other punk bands and the guitar, bass, and drums holding it down tight as ever. The vocalist even comments on this on “Creeps”, belting out “I want a simple sound!” as the guitar drops out during the bridge. The chorus on this track is unbelievably catchy as he counts it in every time, and the lead guitar keeps that catchiness with the little melodies that are peppered throughout the track.
Salvaged Records has curated a cohesive three-way split with these bands, allowing each artist to really showcase their talents in the short time they have on the record. In some ways, the split feels like a house show with a solid line-up, as after hearing each band only gets the listener more excited for the next. Be on the lookout for the first single from featured band Off Day titled “Frog Fight” and start getting hyped for the rest of the split as there’s nothing but great material to be heard from each band. “Frog Fight” by Off Day is out on July 22nd on all streaming services, with the full split soon after!