What I like most about The Loved Ones‘ second album, is that it’s really fucking good. Yeah, yeah, very profound and insightful of me, I know. But the fact is that on ‘Build & Burn‘, the Philadelphia quartet have taken the traditional folk-punk ingredients – gruff vocals, rough-edged melodies and some good stories to tell – and blended them into something pretty darn special.
Laden with tunes that will stick in your head for ages, but retaining the band’s trademark sense of conviction and honesty, fans of The Replacements, Chuck Ragan, Against Me! and Hot Water Music really should wrap their ears around this one as soon as possible. It encompasses straight-up punk rock (‘Pretty Good Year’, ‘Sarah’s Game‘), a semi-acoustic lament (‘Brittle Heart‘) and even – gasp! – a love song (the closing ‘I Swear‘), and at just over half an hour in length, it doesn’t outstay its welcome.
Did I mention that ‘Build & Burn‘ was produced by Pete Steinkopf and Bryan Kienlen from the Bouncing Souls, and also features guest spots from various members of The Hold Steady? Not that you really need any more reasons to check it out. Have a listen to ‘Sarah’s Game‘ on the link above.
Alex Gosman