On their eponymous debut five-song EP, Gainesville, FL's Escape Grace pound out one heavy and aggressive chaotic hardcore punk composition after another, in turn fashioning a record that would fit quite nicely beside one's copies of Sex Positions' s/t album (minus the texture-enhancing electronics, that is) and Some Girls' 'All My Friends Are Going Death' (both on Deathwish). If you've heard neither of these bands' output, let's just say what they, and by extension Escape Grace, have in common is a real sense of immediacy and urgency that encapsulates a majority of their compositions. Like their peers, Escape Grace has down pat the harrowed, scream-y vocals; mostly speedy tempos; unexpected time changes; and blistering drums that all add to that kind of feel - a feel that can seem gloriously claustrophobic and agitated at times (say, for instance, on the ferocious "Your Yellow Hammer"). Even the slower but still fiery "Goodbye, Hy Vanessa" and "Phoenix" (a song that recalls Helmet's exquisitely moving "I Know"), which change up the pace of the record a bit, are heavy and worthy of mention. Bottom line: Escape Grace rock. If you're into the two aforementioned bands, DEFINITELY check this EP out. For newcomers to this frenetic genre who find the description of tense, aggressive, full-blown chaos tempting, pick this up.