Ennui takes a few listens for its razor-sharp and incredibly desperate self-deprecations to really sink in, but when it does, one realizes that while it might not be Seasick's best material to date (this ranks slightly below last year's 12" EP, Ouroboros, and 2007's Awakenings 10" EP), but it's definitely their tightest to date.

Certain moments bear some incredible realization, too. Some droning, distorted guitars open opener "Monument" and more noisier, garage-y tones infect the finish to closer "Fail, Iterate." The transitions between the pairs of songs placed on both sides of the 7" flow perfectly, too, and while the band gets a little same-y in the first verses, it's a solid groove. Seasick definitely sound like they may have finally established their own sound (at least as well as they can), that being their own take (instead of a just a modern update to Infest or Negative Approach's) on pissed, barking, thrashy hardcore that nonetheless has a musicianship and very apparent punch to it all.

A quick Googling of the title should probably give it away, but the common thread here is sheer hopelessness. It's almost discomforting, actually. "I've realized that I'm still the same naïve kid squandering my life pursuing a dead end," Nick Laskowski admits in "Tracking the Truth," before adding, "no surprise that punk has never changed a thing." Later in "The Cold Tribunal of Experience" he muses, "My misguided view of punk's potential disappointment dissolves into crushing regret as I face the cold tribunal of experience I can't find solace with this idealist temperament or refuge in the realist's lowered expectations or pessimistic treatment of human existence." There is clearly no place for Laskowski, but hearing his desolation only adds fuel to to the band's arsenal.

Seasick have never been chincy on packaging and Ennui continues that with a nice screenprinted three-panel foldout. Another solid 7" in Seasick's expanding catalog.

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Fail, Iterate