Lofty, sweeping chords and the deliberate, steadfast pace of the Union Trade tell the tale of a band that eschews flair and fireworks for an intricate, drawn-out listening experience in the vein of Explosions in the Sky. Critics like to lash out against post-rock wanderers for their "long-winded" and "pretentious" takes on rock, but while San Francisco's Trade perform with no shortage of confidence, they guard against swimming into melodious abstraction on their tightly composed EP Now the Swell."

– SF Guardian