Kent State - Walk Through Walls ep (2011)

I can think of few bands out there, past or present, who can pack as much of a head-spinning wallop into two minutes (or less) than Baltimore, MD's finest new export, Kent State.   Their most recent and lengthiest ep, Walk Through Walls, is a brash amalgamation of noisy punk and delirious shoegaze-ridden headiness, channeled through a scalding, lo-fi delivery system.  In the span of just thirteen minutes, Kent State cut an airplane hanger-wide, amped-out swath, the likes of which I haven't experienced since My Vitriol a good ten years ago.  Speaking of plane hangers, that's just where one might expect these seven ditties were committed to tape, but Walk Through Walls engulfing sonic landscape was more likely corralled in a conventional studio or basement.  The sprawl factor is at full bore on the howling "Nuclear Winter," while Kent State's dream pop inclinations work their Swervedriving magic on "Secrets for Sale" and the title cut.  A slightly cracked rendering of Guided By Voices' "Pimple Zoo" somehow slots in comfortably with the originals.

Walls is available digitally through K/S's Bandcamp space and their own blog.