A split 7 inch between Hey Lover and Cafeteria Dance Fever came out a couple months ago on Hovercraft. It’s called “On Safari With…” and it’s a six-song, 33 rpm 7 inch. Each band gets two songs a side, then teams up for a third tune at the close of each side. It’s pressed (as you can see) on clear green vinyl—and it’s a gleeful, thrashing stinkload of fun.

Hey Lover’s side is the poppier of the two, with “Full Costume Bible Dance” starting with a back-and-forth two note riff. The White Stripey drum ‘n’ guitar combo is plenty thick, then the song stops for a slow arpeggio, with a forlorn vocal from Justin Varga. “Take the stage and shine like a star,” he sings with drummer and wife Terah Beth. “She’s the Girl for Me” continues with the guitar scratching out sixteenth notes, then a prime pop melody and thumping backbeat kick in. The side closes with the duo teaming up with Cafeteria Dance Fever for “Itchy Scratch,” which dumps a bunch of noise on top of a descending four-note riff that sounds kind of like “Sense of Doubt” from Bowie’s “Heroes” album. It’s a squealy feedback punch out.

Cafeteria Dance Fever continues on side B with “Cancer Ward,” a punk bass ‘n’ drum backbeat over a scraping distorted guitar backdrop. The band drops out for a brief, bizarre breakdown, with xylophone, acoustic guitar, and childlike vocals. “Color Coded” is perhaps the best song on the side. It opens with cartoon sci-fi sounds then continues with creaking strings, groaning amplifiers, and a muttered vocal that evolves into a bratty whine for the chorus. An instrumental break features swirls of stretched-taffy feedback, then the beat comes back, with the hi hat chipping away like an icepick. The side concludes with another team-up between the two bands for a song that’s listed on the artwork as “Dead in the Ball Pit,” but I think it’s actually supposed to be called “Snake in the Ball Pit.” The vocal and guitar duplicate a weird, tightrope melody, then the chorus is a singsongy chant at a different tempo. The final verse is shouted as a steroid raging scream for a strange, disorienting end. The two bands obviously have fun playing together and they’ve got a tour of Europe planned later this year.

Hey Lover play Holocene Friday, May 9. Go to Hey Lover’s MySpace to hear all their songs, and you can hear 2 out 3 songs from the Cafeteria Dance Fever side at their website; the third is at their MySpace.