THE BUSY SIGNALS - LOVE AND DUST 7" EP (Douchemaster, 2005)

I have a feeling this record will eventually be one of those singles that people dig through boxes to find, stashed away and forgotten in some used record store basement, with the hopes they will stumble upon a copy of The Busy Signals' "Love And Dust" EP. Chicago's The Busy Signals feature some of the tightest, catchiest punk rock being released these days. Taking a heavy dose of influence from edgier power pop bands like The Breakaways (think their single "Walking Out On Love" specifically), The Busy Signals burst out the gate with three undeniably catchy, scathing tracks on their 2005 debut EP. The track 'Love And Dust' is the equivalent of getting hit by a musical Mack truck, with its deliriously quick start, lightning fast tempo throughout, and toe-tapping melody, one would think that this song alone makes the single worth your time.

'Just Wanna Go Out' maintains the impact of the EP's initial track, leaving you ready for the record's closing track, the sneaky 'Do What You Want'. Unlike the previous two songs, 'Do What You Want' shows the band taking the tempo down only slightly as to further reveal the band's ability to write pop gems. The formula is almost overly simplistic. However, that unto itself (at least in the case of The Busy Signals) is its very charm. These songs are not terribly unlike any slew of power pop bands from nearly 30 years ago (see: The Breakaways, etc.), and yet it doesn't matter. Fun songs are simply that and rarely seem to be faced with the often pretentious and frankly overrated "need" to constantly reinvent the wheel or break the mold. If you can do it better than almost anyone else, these things don't seem to matter.

The band has since released another single as well as a full length on Dirtnap Records in 2008. While the Dirtnap release is still widely available, you can check this EP out here (now in convenient zip file format for all you non-rar folk out there!)