The stopgap single "Big Head On" heralded the end of the first phase of
Versus' career -- with the subsequent
Deep Red EP, second guitarist James Baluyut joined the lineup, and his addition sparked a more melodically complex, richly atmospheric approach than the surging, visceral sound perfected across the span of the group's early records. "Big Head On" so effectively distills this primal approach that it could almost serve as self-parody; built around a slashing guitar riff and Richard Baluyut's flat, singsong vocals, it's an effective eulogy for great records like Let's Electrify! and
The Stars Are Insane that acknowledges it's time to move on. The flip, a cover of
the Young Marble Giants' "N.I.T.A.," is wonderfully symmetrical -- one great indie trio comprising a pair of brothers and a female singer with a voice like a security blanket covering another. ~ Jason Ankeny