Cousins

Configuring your guitar-and-drums two piece to sound like something fresh has to be tough, but Halifax's Cousins prove it can still be done. Featuring Pat Ryan on guitar and Aaron Mangle on drums and vocals, the former Mangle solo project turned full band turned two-piece churned out a short, spirited set of songs that were raw in their jilted structures, but hardly sounded stripped down. It's clear that there's some serious writing talent at work here, and it would be simple to fill these songs out. However, between Ryan's thick, almost bluesy guitar and Mangle's rich melodic drumming, there's a life to the songs as is.