Emerging from Baltimore’s incredibly energetic hardcore scene, have always displayed a penchant for eclecticism. Last year’s album ‘NEVER ENOUGH’ epitomised their magpie-like eye for glittering sonics, exploding their hardcore palette into something that could be blissfully melodic and crushingly intense all within the same song. Very much an international breakout moment, the band toast 12 months of ‘NEVER ENOUGH’ with ‘VERSIONS’, a staggering broad selection of re-workings which serves to illustrate the ongoing impact of the parent record.

As a collection, ‘VERSIONS’ is led by the highs: re-crafts the title song into a spectral slice of after-hours introspection; transforms ‘LIGHT DESIGN’ into a zero gravity home recording; A. G. Cook is a disruptive force on ‘DULL’, and is utterly sublime on ‘CEILING’.

With a staggering roll call of talent, ‘VERSIONS’ could hardly fail. The more impressive renderings come from people who take chances with the core text – re-tooling ‘SLOWDIVE’ as a spiritual jazz odyssey comes to mind, or presenting a sombre, somnambulist ‘LIGHT DESIGN’.

Not everything hits the target. tinkles the ivories on ‘SEEIN’ STARS’ and while that alone is worthy of a headline, it doesn’t add a huge amount to the original. caused a ruckus this week with her Triple J take on a Hole classic, but the alt-pop siren’s doesn’t quite hit those heights. remix of ‘SOLE’ falls a little flat, while Four Tet’s take on ‘LOOK OUT FOR ME’ is a little by-rote.

That said, there’s a huge amount of explore here. Ranging from the feral sludge of to touching, if faithful, renderings from , and , ‘VERSIONS’ cracks open the DNA of ‘NEVER ENOUGH’ for a series of warped hybrids.

7/10