THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Spikes+ is an expanded edition of ISS’s pandemic-themed 2020 cassette, whose uniquely packaged, self-released edition came and went before most anyone could hear about it.
With some of ISS’s best songs — like the anthemic title track, the unexpectedly touching Cellmate and the blistering Facemask — Sorry State couldn’t bear to let Spikes pass as a mere blip in the zeitgeist. Besides the five tracks from the original Spikes cassette, Spikes+ includes Puttin’ On The Blitz from 2016’s Studs cassette, 2018’s self-titled 7” on Sorry State, ISS’s three tracks from 2019’s American Idylls compilation, and the 2020 single Too Punk for Heavy Metal. Highlights abound here too, from the cowbell-infused One-Sided Triangle to the Agent Orange-inspired lead guitar on I Wanna Be Dated (courtesy Scarecrow’s Jeff Leppard). Like the best odds-n-sods compilations, Spikes+ sounds great whether you’re revisiting old favorites or making new ones.”
