EXIT 9B is sort of split musically with a nice little ballad to offset things a bit. The openers, "No Excuses" and "Fame You Can Buy" are much more metal influenced musically. Both tracks feature Hauge's Pundik-esque clean vocal (no screams), but push just a bit beyond easycore stylistically and fall a little closer to the thrashier side of things -- sort of like Sum-41's Slayer influence. These are by no means thrash metal songs, but there is certainly a heavier nature to them. "Teach Me To Be Wise," "Too Late For Second Guessing" and "Only When You Provide" are a little closer to what you'd expect after hearing Out Of Isolation. This trio is pop-punk at its finest and has a strong New Found Glory influence. "You Still Remain" serves as a nice little bridge to bring the two sides of the EP together and shows a slightly different side of Hauge.

Much like this debut, Sam isn't afraid to speak up spiritually. In "Teach Me To Be Wise," Hauge is asking for guidance and wisdom from God singing, "Teach me to be wise. Keep me in Your light." In "Still Remains" he sings, "The kingdoms we build will all crumble and fall and our securities will fail and bring us down to a crawl. So, I will not put my peace in this broken tragedy; I'll look to the One who reigns." He goes further after the bridge to say, "You are all I need; You give me a melody and a song to sing. With every word You speak, You're proving Your victory. It will be complete." These are just a few of the highlights, but there are great lyrical moments throughout.

EXIT 9B may catch some off guard a bit with its opening two tracks, but they aren't all that far from what we heard in 2023. Personally, I think the EP shines most in tracks three through five, but the entire composition is quite enjoyable. Most importantly, this nineteen-minute-long EP has good replay value. Listening back-to-back isn't a chore at all and feels almost mandatory. Sam Hauge is still a relatively new artist, but his work continues to stand out. Fans of pop-punk and easycore will most definitely want to give Sam's newest work a listen.

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 Record Label: None
 Album length: 6 tracks: 19 minutes, 3 seconds
 Street Date: April 25, 2025
 Buy It: Amazon Music

1. No Excuses (3:13)
2. Fame You Can Buy (2:37)
3. Teach Me To Be Wise (2:55)
4. You Still Remain (3:46)
5. Too Late For Second Guessing (2:40)
6. Only When You Provide (3:56)