You Vandal are a new band to me, and frankly I’m gutted I didn’t discover them sooner! If you enjoy bands like Jimmy Eat World or Alkaline Trio, but perhaps crave a more modern take on the pop punk/punk rock genres, you’ll love these guys. The Florida-based band’s 4th full-length LP, this is where people come to die, grabs your attention from the very first track and holds it until the very last. Coming a whole three years after their previous release, Pretend I Don’t Exist, this record is gearing up to be a great selection of punchy and anthemic tracks.
The LP kicks off with “lords of nothing”, which features a cool wee sample from Battlegorge: Zai! that tickles the brain in all the right ways. The track is overflowing with pure pop punk energy, and sets the tone for the rest of the LP – even the chiller songs will have you nodding your head and tapping your feet in time to the beat. It’s a great way to start the record, setting the bar just high enough to be genuinely excited about what the other tracks have in store for you.
One of the standout tracks for me was “stovetop / playin’ with matches”, as it’s the first track on the LP to feature some heavier vocals. They were a little unexpected, as I quite literally looked up from what I was doing in mild surprise on first listen, but very welcome! They worked super well to contrast the clean vocals and definitely made the song memorable. The lyrics also hit quite close to home, and I can already tell this one will be super cathartic for audiences to scream back at the band (hint hint nudge nudge, please put this one on setlists!).
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Another track worth highlighting is “get me 2 the grave” purely because of how damn catchy it is! The melody and instrumentals are more on the poppier side than some of the other tracks on this LP, so it may not be up to everyone’s tastes, but I found myself humming this as I went about the rest of my day and absolutely can’t complain about it. My only criticism is wishing the song was longer – I found myself rewinding it a fair few times to give it another listen!
“barely background” rounds off this record really nicely, bringing a sort of angsty, coming-of-age movie sound with it. Starting off a bit slower, it quickly builds up into a powerful delivery of some, again, hard-hitting lyrics that make you want to scream along at the top of your lungs. The last 30 seconds or so of the track are just a gentle piano melody, which I feel brings the whole LP to a beautiful close, like the end of a journey.
Overall, this is where people come to die is incredibly catchy and easy to listen to, delivering a great mix of nostalgia and newer, more contemporary influences to create a unique yet comfortingly familiar sound. If You Vandal weren’t on your radar already, they absolutely should be now!
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this is where people come to die is out on May 23rd
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