Now grown out of the bedroom and operating as a fully functional band, London via Ukraine’s POWERPLANT follow up last year’s ‘People In The Sun’ LP with this new 5 track banger. The Devo / Tubeway Army / Screamers / Lost Sounds comparisons are still there but also the weirder tracks are weirder, the faster tracks are faster and is Theo fucking crooning on the opener? One way to find out. To better days!

Our take: London’s Powerplant follows up their much-loved People in the Sun album with this noteworthy five-track EP. While Powerplant has expanded from a recording project to a full live lineup, this 7” shows no dilution of the singular voice that made People in the Sun stand out. If anything, A Spine / Evidence is even more singular, with the band locking into a voice utterly their own. Each track seems like its own universe, with the sound ranging from the dance-y “A Spine” (which reminds me of Freedom of Choice era Devo in the best way) to the dense, hardcore-ish closer “Hurtwood.” Powerplant combines a post-punk band’s sense of restraint with punk band’s energy level, a feat that’s difficult to achieve. Further, they wrap their sound in top-notch songwriting jammed with memorable moments. I think A Spine / Evidence is even better than People in the Sun, and it’s worth checking if you’re into anything from Diat’s catchy post-punk to the glass-smashing anthems on Total Punk Records.