Up and coming Sydney indie rock outfit,Ventolin recently released their debut CD Anomie.Their live musical energy is transformed on to CD fantastically by Don Bartley at indies favourite 301 Studios.But it is the massive structure of their song writing that sets them apart from others in a sometimes limited genre.The first song let down is the only song on the E.P. that does just that.It isn't a bad song but the inclusion of a extremely wanky echo vocal in the chorus ruins the credibility of this otherwise OK effort.24th and anomie are the highlights of the EP with very silverchairesque overtones.This is amateur recording at its greatest.The guys hammering time changes,reminiscent of those in the opening track from Freakshow slave, and thick overdriving and distortion mixes on the guitars make for very likable tracks.With a professional mixing job and some collaborative work with an engineer like Nick Launay(ok,so he did Freakshow),these guys could be the next big thing,and whats better than picking this up at a gig for only $6!!!!

(4 out of 5)

Luke Fullagar Vertigo Magazine Addition 5 1998

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