Owen / Into It. Over It. Split EP

Owen/Into It. Over It. / Split EP / 2015 / PRC-301

Back in 2015, two of my favorite artists came together to record and release a beautiful little split. With Mike Kinsella and Evan Weiss both living in Chicago, their social connection through the music scene transpired into a friendship that I never expected. With Polyvinyl at the forefront of the release, I was ecstatic when I saw the preorder go live - I quickly claimed one of the only 700 copies. The 7” is put together in a truly immaculate package. The small jacket has embossed gold foil on the front and back. The pressing is on 50/50 split clear and translucent gold vinyl. And to top it all off the lyric insert is the size of a postcard with a crispy layout in gold ink. The quality and attention to detail in releases like this is one of the many reasons I love collecting vinyl records.

The Owen / Into It. Over It. Split EP is comprised of two songs on each side, with an original single followed by a cover of one of their own tracks by the other artist. Side A kicks off with Mike’s catchy Poison Arrows that lyrically follows the tale of alcohol’s influence on him at the bar. It’s a notable Owen track that opens up to some grand piano and drum kit to accompany his depressive acoustic. Evan follows up in track two with a cover of Poor Souls - an amazing rendition that has him transposing the guitar parts entirely onto keys instead. It’s a great cover of an early Owen track that still holds up over 20 years later. Side B has Weiss at the helm with his single Local Language - an upbeat, acoustic track that sounds like it’s in a tuning Kinsella would use. Mike Kinsella follows it up with a punked-up version of IIOI fan favorite Anchor - it’s so sick hearing Kinsella slap the shit out of the drums on this one!

The Owen / Into It. Over It. Split EP was recorded and mixed by Neil Strauch out of Chicago, Illinois. The photography was taken by Ryan Russell, with the artwork layout assembled by Andy Hendricks.