The nine song Hold On Hope EP is for the fan. From the opening power pop of “Underground Initiations” to the instrumental “Do the Collapse”, Pollard gives the diehard GbV fan another dose, high kicks and beer stains included in the purchase price. There are two types of songs here: indie arena rock (ala DTC) and classic GbV tracks.

“Underground Initiations” is a perfect fit for the indie arena rock/power pop that permeates the full-length that Pollard has been recording as of late. The opening ringing guitar riff is familiar territory that is immediately rocked by crunchy guitars and Pollard’s cigarette stained vocals. It’s almost a shame that the song didn’t make Do the Collapse. “Idiot Princess” is another classic rocker with distorto vocals. “Avalanche Aminos” is marked by a psychotic guitar riff with big drums and herky jerky rhythms until the chorus drives hard with Pollard’s vocals soaring.

Pollard gets more familiar to old school indiots on “Fly Into Ashes”, a track that is feels lo-fi (one of three songs on the EP that were not produced by Ric Ocasek). This is classic Guided by Voices. Pollard isn’t about to let up on the fifty second acoustic “Tropical Robots” where he utilizes one of favorite subject matters, robots. When he sings: “Alabama policeman, let em go on their way, don’t spoil their fun, cause when they go away, they won’t come back no more” he sings the immediately recognizable GbV melody, employing his philosophy of song economy (why add another verse/chorus? This is sufficient). Pollard plays the Beatle card on “A Crick Uphill” (think “I’m Looking Through You” from Rubber Soul). This song could have fit well on Bee Thousand or Alien Lanes. Classic.