ALBUM REVIEW: Burnout – VIAL
2024 has been a great year for punk music so far, for both established and up and coming bands. If you’re on the lookout for something new to listen to, then look no further than the Minnesota indie-punk trio VIAL, who are finally back with their first album in three years: Burnout.
Clocking in at only 19 minutes, Burnout is heaps of fun. It’s an easy listen that you’ll be wanting to start again as soon as it’s over. Kicking things off is Two Faced, which opens up with a cavalcade of distorted noise before launching into the fray with a fun and punchy riff which is similar to that of Territorial Pissings by NIRVANA and will have you wanting to dance about in absolutely no time. It also sets the tone nicely for what’s to come as it combines the humour of VIAL’s lyrics with the almost snarky punk attitude that the band brings. Wasting no time, Falling Short picks up the pace and speeds things up a little whilst maintaining that punk aspect with a fun and grubby distorted guitar and a great shouty chorus to boot which also allows the band to show off their impressive vocals.
Bringing in a more indie element to the record is Bottle Blond. This song swaps the dirty sounding guitars and brings in a more clean cut aspect which is very reminiscent of bands like THE SMITHS and THE CURE; it keeps the album feeling fresh and not one note at all. The humour throughout the record continues with the short, riff-led Chronic Illness Flareups, which starts off with a fun little beat that will have you clapping along in no time, although before you have time to properly get into the song it’s over just as soon as it’s started.
The best track of the record comes at the back end; Just Fine is a great track that’s introduced by Therapy Pt. iii that works as a little prologue before launching us into a song about trying to convince yourself and others that you are “fine” which juxtaposes how the band or listener really feels at times. It starts off slow before it picks up the pace throughout and eventually crescendoes in a huge ending that will have you also screaming “I’M FINE” along with the band.
The final stretch of the album sees Burnout at its strongest. Friendship Bracelet almost has a sinister and brooding feel to it that’s like a punk version of Mean Girls yet it’s still able to maintain that element of fun that is prevalent throughout. Ur Dad has a great maniacal quality to it in which the protagonist hatches a plan to seduce and marry a friend’s dad so they can become their “mother” – it’s easily the most bonkers tune on the album. The guitar has an almost hypnotic feel to it which really adds to the crazy and funny vibe to the track. It’s a tune that will go off in a live setting and will leave no one standing still as they smash through it.
Overall, Burnout is a fun listen. It’s a cohesive album and shows that VIAL are on a trajectory that can only be pointing upwards. The only downside of this record is that it’s over too soon and maybe could have benefitted from having two or three more songs. However, that’s only a minor gripe and makes you more excited for what the trio have in store for us in the future.
Rating: 8/10
Burnout is out now via Get Better Records.
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