A three-way split you say? They never work!

Admittedly, this split plays more like three EPs in a row than a linear album, but it still works. We've got three bands whose sounds are hugely different, but who are united by their schizophrenia. Sense of Urgency don't know whether they're playing poppy ska or...erm...Born/Dead. Stand Out Riot don't know whether they're playing gypsy/cabaret songs or skacore and A WarAgainstSound don't know whether they're playing second-wave ska or post-hardcore.

SOU are first up with four short sharp shocks that live up to the band's name. The lead vocals are like a throttled Lawrence Arms with a Leftover Crack-esque tag-team arrangement intensifying the urgency. Some melodies and horns of a poppy spirit demonstrate a band heading for an album that'll sound something like Star Fucking Hipsters one day.

Unfortunately, SOR have taken their anarchic cabaret a bit too far with their contribution. Their three tracks have been bashed a bit too hard with the genre-busting stick and have been dragged, bruised and battered past the four-minute mark. It's a shame as their last CD was one of the best of 2009!

Last up are AWAS, representing a treaty to skank signed by a whole host of influences. Sounding similar to Capdown in many ways, they slip in some nice guitar riffs reminiscent of early Strung Out. That said, the song construction takes more of a post-hardcore form similar to, for lack of a better example, early Thrice.

This CD is totally worth picking up, with two nice tasters of things to come and one good reason to check a band's back catalogue.