Review / 200 Words Or Less
These Arms are Snakes / Tropics
Split

We-Be (2008) Michael

These Arms are Snakes / Tropics – Split cover artwork
These Arms are Snakes / Tropics – Split — We-Be, 2008

Here we have another limited edition split 7", this one that was issued in support of These Arms are Snakes and Tropics European tour together. You get one exclusive track from each artist.

These Arms are Snakes offer up "Meet Your Major," which is very much in tune with the band's latest full-length offering, Tail Swallower and Dove. You get driving rhythms and thick basslines. The guitars are angular and compliment the rhythm secion well. And of course there are Steve Snere's typical yelled shouts to match the coarseness of the music. All in all, it's what we've come to expect from the post-hardcore outfit.

Tropics, on the other hand, are new to me. Hailing from the U.K., this four-piece delivers "Future Gets Tense," a post-punk inspired rock number that had me recalling At the Drive-In. The guitars had a bit of a Swami-esque thing going on too. Pretty solid stuff.

A nice slab of wax from one of my favorite bands going and something new from a band I'd yet to encounter. Limited to only 500 copies, if you're a fan of either group I suggest grabbing a copy while they are still available.

8.0 / 10Michael • April 3, 2009

These Arms are Snakes / Tropics – Split cover artwork
These Arms are Snakes / Tropics – Split — We-Be, 2008

Recently-posted album reviews

Six Going on Seven

Human Tears
Spartan Records (2026)

Late 90s post hardcore and emo feels impossible to recreate now. That’s not because the sound itself is gone, but because the tension behind it was so specific to that era. Six Going on Seven’s Human Tears, their first full length in roughly twenty-four years, captures that feeling perfectly. Having a wonderful history by having done a split with Hot … Read more

The Bug Club

Every Single Muscle
Sub Pop (2026)

  I got kind of obsessed with reviewing this record after I heard the first single “Watching The Omnibus” which they released digitally earlier this year. I could probably just write a whole thing about how hard it was to get an advance download of it for review, but I try to keep my reviews positive so I will steer clear … Read more

The Cascadian Divide

To the Sky
Independent (2026)

The Cascadian Divide is a Washington state based melodic skate punk band that formed during the infamous COVID lockdown. Although it started as an experiment, it soon became a passion project for the band members. The band has seen its share of line up changes over the years, but the commitment to maintaining the sound and integrity of the band … Read more