Patois Counselors are a North Carolina post-punk outfit featuring members of a ton of bands from Charlotte. While the primary influence here seems to be The Fall, 80s UK post-punk in general offers comparisons. One can hear traces ranging from the angularity of Wire to the the general oddness of bands like Swell Maps or possibly even The Deep Freeze Mice, the latter sharing their poppy sensibility. This affinity for the poppier side of post-punk is what separates Patois Counsel from their more noteworthy peers, like Protomartyr. On the other side of the coin, the synth on the a-side often feels on the verge of breaking into the industrial synthpunk territory of Nervous Gender. Unfortunately that turn never comes to fruition, but the b-side finds the band at in a more concise and fully executed zone. If you like The Fall’s This Nation’s Saving Grace, then this is an EP for you. The 7” is currently out on, and still available from, Negative Jazz — releasing other vaguely out-there punk and hardcore from the likes of Lumpy And The Dumpers and Mystic Inane.