Oh No Not Stereo is an ambitious duo from California. Both members have incredibly west coast sounding names (Myk and Sky) but the album itself could have come from a band located anywhere in the United States (if you ignore the shout-out given to CA in track three). This self-titled EP is actually Oh No Not Stereos second release; they put out a full length independent record a few years ago titled LP001, but this is their first musical foray with Takeover Records.

The EP is brief but well done. It starts with an instrumental (the human scream, it seems, is also considered an instrument) that segues seamlessly into the second track, Where You Are. This provides a strong beginning but is nowhere near as catchy as the third song, One More Thing I Love. Following that is Burn The City Down, which has a soft, promising, electric guitar intro but such a dull repetitive chorus that even the most dedicated listener is sure to lose interest. The last two tracks are especially interesting, as they are the type of angry social commentary one would expect from a band like Say Anything or Rise Against. Thirty-Two and Every Link In The Chain are definitely the songs with the greatest impact. In Thirty-Two the guys repeat the mantra Youre all slaves, theres nothing you can do about it, perhaps as a commentary on a musicians lifestyle or perhaps a look at the disadvantages of being a white-collar worker. The lyrics are vague but disturbing enough to allow for either interpretation (though personally, I would lean toward the latter). If the ideas here dont particularly captivate you, theres a great scream transition on the word marquee in the first verse. Every Link In The Chain is a more laid back tune. Its an unmistakable note on how much ass-kissing goes on the music industry. Every link in the chain is more shady than a shadow on a sunny day, the boys state; though this doesnt seem to have stopped them from projecting their own proud voices to the masses. Whether you choose to listen, and what you take away from it is, as always, up to you.

You can check out their website at http://www.ohnonotstereo .com.