Review: burnout by VIAL released via Get Better

I am willing to admit when I’m wrong. In 2020’s DIY-COVID boom a lot of bands in the scene blew up in the social media sphere, seemingly out of nowhere. One of the biggest of those was VIAL, a three-piece punk outfit from Minneapolis. I listened to the band’s 2021 album LOUDMOUTH, saw a live set, albeit online, and was time after time utterly not impressed. Still, a lot of my friends and people I respect in this space think very highly of VIAL, so I wanted to give them another fair shot.

Off the bat, it feels like VIAL have expanded their palette in a big way on opening track “two-faced,” a thrash punk banger with a slow climb. The momentum keeps on following track “falling short.” This one is a punchy, catchy skate punk cut which has you in and out in just a minute and a half. A major element of the previous record which wasn’t working for me was how the attitude of it all felt totally phoned in. The rage here is so real and genuine. Screaming for the subject of a track to “fall on both their faces” is something I am completely bought into.


From there we get “bottle blonde,” a super fun, guitar driven analysis of the narrator’s mental state. Feeling like you scare children by just walking around your own neighborhood is a fun line but also layered in such real hurt and it’s all felt. “Chronic illness flareups” is a short and simple mosh call with glammy synths and a one-sentence lyric structure which gets the point across in a quick way.


“Therapy pt. Iii” is a sketch and interlude and honestly where I fell in love with this band. To record something so confessional, though most certainly played up, and play it off as a joke is something I have to give a lot of credit for. It also sort of paves the way for the rest of the record. The character portrayed in the second half of burnout is the polar opposite of the person who went to therapy and started to feel better about the day to day struggles they face. Going through life in a cruel and callous way with no regard for anyone. 


I don’t think VIAL have put out a flawless album here, but I also think it’s all indicative of a band wearing their imperfections on their sleeve. I have been totally won over by VIAL and can safely say I went from hater to fan on burnout.

Our score of burnout is 8/10.

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