They’re calling Vial indie-punk on the press releases I’m seeing. That’s probably as fair a description as any, as the DIY punk band covers a lot of sonic ground. What’s impressive is that on burnout, their second record, that varied sound all feels unified. The 10 songs here go from indie rock to angry punk to grungy to bouncy but, however it shifts from song to song, it manages the same core aesthetic. I’d simply call it punk, with strong influence from the riot grrl movement, but just as much interest in fun, party tunes as they have in loud, angry jams. If I have to namedrop, I found myself thinking of Bratmobile, Grumpster, Kitten Forever, and even the Dwarves and ‘70s disco pomp at different times.
They also seem to hate Capital Letters.
“two-faced” seems like a perfect title to introduce the multi-dimensional sound. As the lead track, it uses an angry riff for a straight-up punk ripper with some slowed down dynamic shifts and a big choral “Fuck you / And fuck you too” refrain. It sets a tone, especially if you consider that there are also song titles like “just fine” and “apathy” on this album. There is a downer, burnt out theme, even if they sometimes veer in new, very different directions.
“falling short” is a pop-punk singalong and then “bottle blonde” and “ur dad” are something of character studies. The songs about secondary characters are especially captivating, because they cover both angles. Even if it’s poking fun, you get a sense of humanity. And right when you think you have it all figured out, “broth song” sounds like a touching love song, until you listen to the lyrics. Yes, it’s about soup. There’s a unified story in all of this. I hear, in a sense, a chaotic and highly dramatic party and the ensuing hangover filled with regret and remorse – all set to song.
Honestly, the songs here go by so fast that this feels more like an EP than LP to me, as a couple of one-minute jams feel more like transitional half-songs (that I still dig). The band also utilizes a fair amount of spoken word that’s borderline overdone. I like it in small doses, but they go back to the technique a little more often than this ear prefers. Ultimately though, “burn out” makes me feel energized instead of sick of it all. Well done, Vial.
