with a melodic clear, crisp guitar, and seems the tone of the song is somewhat melancholy.  This is a nice opener to the EP and starts us off with a mellow sound.

 

“Forever,” on the other hand, feels more aggressive and up-tempo.  With a pounding drumbeat, distorted guitar, and straightforward lyrics repeated throughout- “I wanna be with you forever” -makes this song a simple pleasure to listen to.

 

Dowsing, a four piece from Chicago, are also considered an indie-pop band like their label and EP mates.   They released their latest album I Don’t Even Care Anymore in August 2013 and offer the second half to the EP.

 

First off from Dowsing is “Fistful of Hot Wheels” and this offers us more in the way of somber lyrics and sound.  The guitar rhythm and drum beat blend well to make the song feel heartfelt and moody.

 

Last but not least is “Worlds Finest Chocolate.” This feels slightly angrier than the first, offered up with a mix of clean and unclean vocals, but still remains melodic.  It offers us the heartbreaking lyrics, “When you’re as awful as me/locked in a state of low self-esteem.”  Dowsing seem to be the more experienced songwriters and seem more mature than Annabel but both bands can only improve with time and experience.

 

Both Annabel and Dowsing offer a peek into what to expect from them, I personally gravitate more towards Dowsing’s music in that the lyrics are well thought out and seem to capture feelings in a great way paired well with the music.  This is not to take anything away from Annabel, who also have something to offer the listener, but Dowsing just felt a little more polished.

 

Split is a great little offering from Count Your Lucky Stars Records and both bands compliment and blend in well with each other.  If you get the chance, take a few minutes out of your day to give these two bands a listen… you might just like it.