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

Cel Ray

Cel Rayzer
Exploding In Sound Records (2026)

I don’t remember how, but I stumbled across Chicago’s Cel Ray in 2023 on the heels of their debut EP, Cellular Raymond. I was immediately hooked. After another EP and a single, the band finally brings us their debut long player, Cel Rayzer. To no surprise, it’s excellent. Cel Ray plays a brand of post-punk that’s lo-fi and streamlined. Singer … Read more

Bevis Frond

Horrorful Heights
Fire Records (2026)

God loves Nick Saloman, and from the heavens, the expulsion of the beloved archangel fell and spawned Horrorful Heights. A 20-track double-album behemoth. Eighty-eight minutes of musical mayhem. Who does that anymore? nobody. As they edit themselves down to make nice, safe Spotify playlists, Nick just dumps the whole glorious attic on your head like the wicked witch of the … Read more

Nine Pound Hammer

Too Outlaw For Outlaw Country
Reptilian Records (2026)

For nearly forty years, Nine Pound Hammer have occupied a strange corner of American music that very few bands have ever managed to touch. They're too loud for traditional country, too country for most punk bands, too dirty for radio rock, and frankly too stubborn to care where anyone thinks they belong. That's exactly why Too Outlaw For Outlaw Country … Read more