Fleshies/Toys That Kill
split picture disc 7"
gcv008
Released August 2003
See below for Track listing and Press Reviews

Two cool as fuck bands on one cool as fuck 7" picture disc. Both bands are incredibly unique and it’s great to see them together on this fantastic release.
NO FRONT TEETH UK webzine

Two of my favorite bands; Oakland’s Fleshies and Toys That Kill combine for couple of massively great punk rock tunes on this limited picture disc split. Both bands take the standard pop punk thing and speed up the melody to the point of no return; the Fleshies brand of lo-fi punk on this rages with so much energy that you’ll shake your booty all over the living room, while Toys That Kill stick to a slightly more standard yet rocking formula that Todd has been mining since his FYP days. This is a limited edition picture disc release, so get it now or regret it later.
(Steve) SHREDDING PAPER, Issue #17, Spring 2004

Fleshies/Toys That Kill split. What a perfect match. The Cows-meets-AC/DC voltage of the Fleshies mere millimeters away from TTK's Cheap Trick-with-its-guitars-in-a-socket ditty has harmonized whistling, an infectious chorus, and guitars that could hypnotize cobras.
(Excerpt from Razorcake Todd's Top 7"s and EPs of 2003)

Arnold Schwarzenegger is now the governor of California. Ha ha ha? Fuck you, Fleshies are from California. That almost single-handedly redeems the entire state. Along with Toys That Kill, they currently play some of the best catchy, frantic, slop punk anywhere, as proven on this split. Call it pop punk if you must (and be wrong while missing totally the point too), but both bands have far more in common with The Germs than Blink-182. Each band contributes one snotty new classic on this picture disc. There are only 500 copies, so jump on this now or commit suicide later.
(RR) PUNK PLANET, Issue #59, January/February 2004

Toys That Kill. What can I say? What band, with Control the Sun, their second LP, can get slower and stranger, but better? What band has the big, sweaty balls to double scoop their originality and still want to pile more on? I mean, it's punk, but it's like how the Minutemen and The Big Boys were punk: a reinterpretation of the original meaning, so it remains vital and keeps the ears from getting lazy without it being a complete what-the-fuck?-athon. The guys pull one out of the vaults (looking at the date of recording and all) from The Citizen Abortion sessions, and it's a smoker. "Angels with Dirty Contracts" starts with a recorded fight, has synchronized whistling, and all the stakes that cordon off their distinctive style. Fleshies: the dirty underwear, microphone lariat brigade continues with a mid-paced crooner, "My Buddy," reminiscent of The Psychedelic Furs Talk, Talk, Talk, mixed with goat-throwing guitar sexy, and balled up for enjoyment akin to the delayed and pleasant stupefaction of just the right amount of cough medicine mixed into vodka. The new chocolate and peanut butter? Yes, sir, two tastes that go great together.
(Todd) RAZORCAKE, Issue #16, September 2003

These two bands are on the same rock plateau. Running the same circuit, similar levels of musical proficiency and access to fancy recording methods and so forth. But they differ (on this record anyway) in this way: Fleshies = dirty. Toys That Kill = Clean. The Fleshies song on here is called "My Buddy" and it rips! Like all of their songs, it is rock, but this one is more akin to Cheap Trick or The Replacements, than, say total Omni, turquoise spandex leopard print, butt rock like some of their songs. A fucking classic. A must-have for Fleshies fans everywhere. The Toys That Kill song is also good. It sounds a lot like later-era FYP with that bratty kid singsong chorus. I sometimes think that their recordings are too polished, but a lot of people love that kind of thing. A fine release. You should go now and buy this.
(JB) MAXIMUMROCKNROLL, Issue #246, November 2003