It’s always great to get sent music that I’m totally unaware of and that I get to listen to without any preconceived ideas of what I’m gonna get. It’s with this mindset that I hit play on the Life Burns, the newest release from Gab De La Vega, and my mind couldn’t have been more pleased.

The first song, “To Live is to Survive (Sometimes)”, kicks off, and my immediate first impression is that this reminds me of Frank Turner with some boogie-woogie keyboards. The comparison is mostly in the phrasing of the vocals. The song is really catchy and teeters between being upbeat and downcast, and I could see people jamming to this when they are happy and when they are feeling low. That little guitar solo was tasty as fuck, and I love the tom work on the drums towards the end.

The second song, “Off My Chest” keeps bringing some blues influence, but I also feel like this has elements of 80’s new wave, maybe its in the beat of the music until the guitar riff comes in and turns this into a rocker filled with wicked harmonies. I really appreciate the builds and drops that come throughout the song and how I feel like the singer is taking me on a journey with them.

Skipping down a few tracks to “Preaching to the Choir” and I”m totally digging the drum intro. Rad shit. The song has almost a Bad Religion from Process of Belief feel to it while still retaining that indelible quality that makes this come across as the work of a singer / song writer. Loving the backing shouted vocals as well as the whooaahs. This song, like the others, is just super well crafted with enough changes and accents to make this so much more than just your average pop punk song.

It’s always interesting to me to see how a band closes out the album. This album ends with “Markham City Limits” which opens with vocals drawing you in with help from some PUNKtuated drumming all with an understated guitar riff. But then it kicks in with a dope ass garage rock style riff and then moves to a great verse that just swings. Man those harmonies are just so fucking smooth. The sarcastic radio address reminds me a bit of something I’d hear on a Dead Kennedy’s record. Not quite an MTV VJ style like from “MTV Get off the Air”, but I still get the same sarcastic tone.

Throughout the song the drummer does some fucking rad ass drum parts in the beginning of several songs. I see you.

Give it a listen and buy yourself a digital copy

You can also listen on Spotify and on my (Folk) Punk Playlist and my Punk Playlist

You can get this rad dose of music on vinyl released by SBÄM Records worldwide, in collaboration with Sell The Heart Records (U.S.), Epidemic Records, Motorcity Productions and on tape at Overdrive (all in Italy).

Follow them on their socials: FB, IG, and Twitter

Also check out their Website and Linkedtree

Want to mail a vinyl for review? Message me at dcpcbooking@gmail.com for the address

No tapes and no CDs, I can’t play either of them.

Also make sure to check out DCxPC Live’s store where I have vinyl release of live albums by amazing hardcore, punk, ska and metal bands! We are a small DIY record label doing our best to document the scene we love in the way we love it most—LIVE!