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OneTwoThreeFour is Black Tambourine’s first release in two decades after the band had decided to reunite for a modest tour. Modest more by situation rather than choice—Black Tambourine were always an underground band, gaining more respect and fans only after they broke up and later showed to be one of the best acts of the short-lived shoegaze scene of the early ’90s.

However, these aren’t original songs. All four tracks on this EP are covers of songs by the Ramones. A choice which is naturally bound to disappoint everyone involved. Black Tambourine fans eagerly expecting new material, and classic punk Ramones fans not being able to make heads or tails of Black Tambourine’s abrasive noise pop and charming female vocals.

Bias aside, however, the covers here are quite nice. Black Tambourine put a unique spin on them, so they avoid falling into the trap of sounding too much like the original. The distorted buzz of the guitars, the smooth textures, and the lovely subdued vocals of Pam Berry are all here in full force. These may not be originally written songs, but they are originally executed (especially on the borderline surf pop croon of “I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend”), and the superior production compared to the band’s earlier releases pays off a lot. This may arguably make this Black Tambourine’s most rewarding release, but that just makes it all the more frustrating that the band, while at the top of their talents, didn’t release any new original material.