Into It. Over It.’s Twelve Towns project started years ago as a loose idea with no concrete base, but his current split with Such Gold is wrapping up the successful project with what are perhaps Evan Weiss’s best songs in the series. “Washington, DC” and “Portland, OR” contrast each other with aggressive guitars and hard-hitting drums in the former and mellow vocals and a spacey synth in the background in the latter. Possibly the best part of Weiss’s side of the split is the upgrade in the production compared to that of many other Twelve Towns tunes. The two songs fit in much more clearly with Into It. Over It.’s recent split with Koji, which is most certainly a direction Weiss should continue to pursue in the future.

Such Gold’s release of Pedestals in 2010 created a whole new level of excitement for the band as they perfectly grasped their blend of hardcore and pop-punk, and, while that release featured six great songs, the band’s new material easily overpowers them. “Minstrels” will be a new fan favorite for the edgy and raw guitar parts that rip through the verses and choruses of the track. The song reaches its high point in the bridge as Ben Kotin sings, “I thought that music was an expression of one’s soul // I guess that means that yours was sold // And when you stand to sing // It doesn’t mean a thing.” The band gets more aggressive with the last song on the split, “The World That You Live In,” which features some guitar parts reminiscent of Pedestals but keeps it fresh with Kotin’s ever-improving vocals and the band’s overall musicianship.

Into It. Over It. and Such Gold’s new split will certainly be one of the better splits of 2011, and both sides will only increase excitement and expectation for new full-lengths that each band is expected to release last this year. The split also further solidifies No Sleep Records and Mightier Than Sword Records as two of the better labels in this scene with powerful rosters and fan bases.

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