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Written by: T.Paine
9.5/10

Aah, Gainesville, Florida. The punk rock that comes out of this city is always out of this world. Some of my favorite bands hail from Gainesville (Gunmoll, Against Me!, Cutman, Assholeparade, Grabass Charlestons), so to me, Young Livers come with this “punk rock pedigree”, kind of like being from New York in the 1970s or Chicago in the late 90s. Yet Young Livers would be just as awesome of a punk rock band if they came from Bozeman, Montana. “Of Misery and Toil” is the odds on favorite for the years best rock and roll record. It rocks like The Stooges, but with an urgency reserved for good punk rock. The sound they have could fit right in on Punk O Rama 2 (the best one) or Detroit in 1970 something, drinking beers backstage before the MC5 comes out to tear the place down.

“All the Wretched” is a song that may or may not leave you wanting to get belligerently drunk at 2 pm, and “Finger to the Pulse” is everything I want punk rock to be. The melody is awesome, and the breakdown/bridge at the end made me pump my fist all alone in my living room like I was at a show, going crazy. The classic Gainesville pop punk formula works perfectly for Young Livers, with their gruff vocals that don’t shy away from harmonies or gut wrenching screams. This album

is like a crazy good combination of pop punk, crusty hesher hardcore, and 70s classic rock (awesome guitars in “A Sad State of Affairs”). I can’t stop listening to this record, and through the first several spins, this might be one of those records that will be considered one of the best in No Idea’s ever extensive catalog. This is a must own if you consider yourself a punk fan.

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