We’ve been doing this review thingy long enough to know when a band is just going through the motions, dusting off old records for a quick cash grab. Effusion 35 ain’t that band. Never was. And with “Take Two”—this six-track grenade they just tossed into February 2026—they prove that some songs ain’t ever really finished. They just keep evolving until the band says they’re done. And THEY ain’t done.
Let’s talk about where these guys are at right now. Founder Pat Manley started this thing damn near 27 years ago. Back then, it was a three-piece. One guitar. Now? They’re a five-headed monster with a three-guitar assault that hits like a goddamn pile driver. You hear that evolution the second you drop the needle on “Take Two”.
The EP kicks off with “Mindfuck”, a track from the Stonewind era that’s been rattling around their live sets for years. But here’s the thing—Jim Napoleon is behind the kit now, and the dude does not hold back. Pat Manley says Jim “attacks the drums” and yeah, you can hear it. This ain’t the polite version. This is the version that made the 25th anniversary show feel like the walls were coming down. Heavier, tighter, and hits you in the chest before you even see it coming.
Then you got “Missing Time”. Alright, story time. The original recording of this song literally went to space. Not a metaphor. Actual space. Rode the Blue Origin NS-18 rocket with William Shatner. One of the astronauts was a musician, asked for space-themed tracks, and Effusion 35 said “yeah, we got one for ya.” That alone is cooler than most bands’ entire careers. But the new version? Pat Manley finally did what he wanted to do back in 2008—layered in actual Voyager probe recordings of sounds from Saturn and Jupiter. It’s subtle, but it’s there. And it gives the whole track this vast, eerie, beautiful depth.
“Calm” is next. Pat called it the Mount Rushmore of Effusion 35 songs. He’s not wrong. If these guys have a “hit,” this is the one. And the new take? Tom DiGregorio’s guitar solo in this track is worth the price of admission alone. There’s a story Pat tells about opening for Helmet in DC, and Tom got a full mid-song curtain call applause for his solo. When you hear it here, you get why. It’s one of those moments where the song breathes, lifts off, and just soars.
Flip the script with “Bad Neighborhood”. Written and sung by Joe Napoleon, this was his first-ever lead vocal foray with the band. Fifteen years ago, he was behind the drum kit. Now he’s out front, trading lines and riffs. The song itself is classic. Kid from the wrong side of the tracks energy. Your parents yelling “lock your doors!” energy. It became a live favourite immediately, and this version locks in that raw, lived-in feel.
“Round and Back” is a co-write between Joe and former drummer Randy Robbins. This one’s been creeping up in live sets lately, and for good reason. The interplay between Joe, Pat, and Tom on guitars is dialled in tight. But listen close—Kevin Manley drops a new bass flourish in the chorus that wasn’t there before. It’s small, but it changes the whole pocket. Joe mentioned a live version from Penn Treaty Park a couple years back where the song just hit a new gear. This is the studio finally catching up to what the band already knew.
And then there’s “Moonage Daydream”. Look, we know it’s a cover. We know it’s Bowie. But Effusion 35 has made this song their own damn tradition. Pat says they’ve closed 70 sets with it—no exaggeration. It’s their “cheat code” for a finale, and this version proves why. It’s reverent but ragged. It’s a tribute, sure. But it’s also a statement: this band knows where they came from, and they’re not ashamed to tip the cap while kicking the door down.
Recorded at Defiant Sound in Clifton Heights, PA, “Take Two” is just the first in a series. More EPs coming over the next three years. More deep cuts getting the rework treatment. More chances for a band that’s been grinding since 1998 to show the kids how it’s done.
Effusion 35 ain’t nostalgia-baiting. They’re not resting. They’re taking what worked, what didn’t, and what evolved in between, and they’re slamming it all together. “Take Two” is loud, smart, and most importantly—alive.