Two members from Hagfish, brothers Doni and Zach Blair, have put 50% of "the band back together," reinventing their sound to reflect a matured and somewhat "tainted love" attitude through their song writing and chorus lines, while retaining the punchy guitars and youthful energy that put Hagfish on the map back in the day. Taking four songs that were previously co-written by Zach and George Reagan (original lead vocalist for Hagfish), Amstrong put their own twist on tracks such as "Chicago," which reflects the signature Hagfish vocal hook, but is filled with self-loathing and relationship regret versus a girl's desire to be pleasured by her water cooler boy (i.e. Stamp). On the melancholy mood of "So Much For Everything," Zach, doing quite well in the lead vocal role, belts out "Will you be my world? Will you save me twice? Can I split my loss? Instead of being nice?" with a fluid and melodic fashion wrapped around jazzy chords. "Shamus" blasts out of the gate with groin thrusting drums and tightly wound guitar rhythms, while "Average" could stand as the anthem to moving forward in their own way, sans their previous obstacles, "Cash can't buy the knowledge; And knowledge wears the crown: Mental ammunition…to mow you fuckers down." This is a must have for any previous Hagfish fan that dug their sound but doesn't a rehashed copycat. And through this new release and their touring schedule, the guys are sure to recruit new fans to the Armstrong punk rock cause. Their new site is www.hagfish-armstrong.com.

-Kim Owens, kim@kaffeinebuzz.com

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