At long last, Del Paxton‘s split with Gulfer is out on Topshelf Records. Anyone who follows buffaBLOG has surely seen our coverage of Del Paxton (starting when the group clinched the award for #1 local song of 2013 with “Motion Sick”). With only an EP to its name thus far, we’ve been eager to get our hands on some new stuff from the mathy/emo three piece.

“Paline” showcases the spiraling guitar that we’ve come to love/expect from Del Paxton. Having been to half a dozen (+) Del Paxton shows, it is a pleasure to finally hear a studio version. In fact, if Death Cab for Cutie had any angst left in them, “Paline” might be the result… I’d like to find the musician who can deny the true joy of bassist Zach Schoedel’s funky riff at the one minute mark.

“Bad Batch” starts with one of those impossibly noodly riffs that seems to go everywhere and nowhere all at once. Del Paxton occupies a magical space in the math/emo worlds – the trio sounds and feels like a young, passionate band but have the execution and songwriting skills of a much more nuanced group. On one hand, there’s no denying the catchiness of a “dontcha know better” singalong, but IMO, Del Paxton truly shines when you sit back and appreciate all the subtle (and impressive) quirks that find their way into their songs.

Gulfer is a great pairing with Del Paxton and the Montreal based group is also worth a listen, particularly the cyclonic “Bob Abate.” Check out the entire EP below.