For over a decade, Deerhoof has been energizing the world with their whimsical brand of experimental noise pop. During the history of the band, members have come and gone, nine albums have been released, and near-constant touring has included a coveted opening slot for Radiohead. Throughout it all, Deerhoof has never ceased to be anything less than an intriguing delight.  Deerhoof vs. Evil, the upcoming tenth album from Polyvinyl’s recent acquisition, has been leaking one song at a time via a different media outlet every week before its formal release on January 24th. Before then comes Hoofdriver, a split single with Physical Forms consisting of two songs that will not be on Deerhoof vs. Evil.

According to Polyvinyl, Hoofdriver is but the first in a potential series of split singles featuring music by Deerhoof and the vocals of a guest collaborator, with the guest also providing their own song for the B-side. Hoofdriver is a portmanteau of Deerhoof and Busdriver, and the Los Angeles rapper is a surprising choice for vocalist on A-side “I Did Crimes Behind Your Eyelids”. Musically, “Crimes” is a collection of quirky sounds and rhythms held together by a catchy melody.  It’s the sort of accessibly arty, fresh but familiar song one can expect from Deerhoof. Thankfully, Busdriver takes the high road by not breaking out the Auto-Tune for his singing venture and sounds pretty good doing so. For B-side “On the Brink”, Busdriver joins members of The Mae Shi, Silver Daggers, and Division Day under the band name Physical Forms. “On the Brink” is a spirited, raucously playful noise number that stays true to the spirit of Deerhoof. Both songs on Hoofdriver offer a worthy diversion to keep Deerhoof fans occupied until their next album is fully unveiled.