VIAL "LOUDMOUTH" REVIEW
On LOUDMOUTH, VIAL are both the bullied and the bullies, and I am unequivocally HERE for it.
Superheroes?
LOUDMOUTH is the indie-power-pop-punk-rock quartet’s second album, and like on their debut album Grow Up, the group channels past injustices and present angst into highly relatable takedowns and freakouts. Operating simultaneously as a Joker origin story in 12 parts as well as street vigilantism superpowered by gunshot-snares, VIAL excavate their psyches under the guise of an action packed thriller.
The basic blueprint for LOUDMOUTH is equal parts ripsaw riffs tightly wound by an exceptional rhythm section and gang-vocals (emphasis on “gang”) rained down by four endlessly energized individuals with a unified agenda. The first three tracks follow this to a T, with an opening salvo meant to out-bomb anyone. Hell hath no fury.
Childhood
This opening stretch is also foundational in the way it works around the integral themes of LOUDMOUTH. Respect and individual worth, or a lack thereof, are the driving factors behind these tracks. There is massive disdain towards those who have failed to show this to the group, and in “Violet,” there is appreciation and a continued longing for someone who delivers it.
There’s also a tilt towards the duality of youth and adulthood, which sits along the faultlines of young adulthood where each member of this band currently resides. Again, the opening suite lays this foundation, this time with childlike imagery. “Ego Death” has a semi-demented carnivalesque ending, while “Violet” harkens to youth directly with the line, "You make / make me feel like / I'm a kid again." Then there's the play on a classic schoolyard chant/clap game that kicks off “Planet Drool.”
Adulthood
LOUDMOUTH is then closed out by three songs which draw directly from more adult (though not necessarily more mature) themes and anxieties. “Vodka Lemonade” is about social anxiety that plays on fears of stunted growth. At the same time, it showcases the album’s most readily apparent moment of growth as a band which is their inclusion of a trumpet. Here the band displays their openness to development and unconventional changes as artists, but not as individuals out in the world. “Addict” reflects a similar inability to instigate personal progression in order to move past drug abuse. The album ends on “21” with a chance for hope, maybe, as the group takes a serious look at where they’re at in their lives.
Range
In between the clamps of these two sets of tracks lie a handful of frequently fantastic songs that showcase a range not previously hinted at by VIAL. “Something More” is catchy and unabrassive in a way that makes it an obvious entry point into the group’s discography by way of y2k pop-rock. Pumped up by proto-pop-punk (i.e. Ramones) drumming and both guitars and a structure that spiral, “Piss Punk” may be the best song on the album, which would also make it the best song in the VIAL catalog. And then there’s “Roadkill.,” the hit single where VIAL is at their most powerful.
In the middle of this run is “Thumb,” which works as a great calm in the center of the storm. Where every other song on LOUDMOUTH is at minimum seething, if not propulsively pummeling, “Thumb” shakes and grooves in ways never previously explored by the band. It isn't that I didn't think VIAL could put out a song like this - frankly, I'm terrified of underestimating this group, considering I live in the same zip code as them - It's more that up until hearing “Thumb” I never considered that VIAL would even have any interest in writing a song like this. The way I see it is if you can consistently get away with hitting triple digits whipping through downtown, why the hell would you ever slow down? At any rate, this song is another exceptional example of a band processing its own growth in real time.
Actually Cool
LOUDMOUTH is a fantastic entry into the brat-rock / pop-punk spectrum that's so en vogue right now. The guitar-driven, pink-arted album holds many of the signifiers of the scene, and VIAL’s considerable presence on TikTok implies at the very least a passing familiarity with these trends as a waxing commercial wave. It is clear, though, both in the music and through hearing the members of the band speak, that LOUDMOUTH and the group’s overall aesthetic is not a branding put on or anything less than a sincere interpretation of influences that happen to be not only timelessly cool, but, like, actually cool right now. Unlike much of the other trendy art in a similar vein, VIAL’s ethos sets them apart. There are no excuses here. None will be accepted from any of the perpetrators of past wrongs to this band. None will be given by the band themselves. This expectation underlies every track as VIAL both promises and asks the same of the listener. LOUDMOUTH - and VIAL as a whole - uses the undeniable power disseminating from this music not for selfish or vengeful gains, but to plow through the world to level the playing field for all.
Watch the full interview on the Melodic Noise Patreon.
Eric: We're sitting here because we're on the precipice of "Loudmouth" coming out. Exciting! I've heard it, it's great! It's really good.
Katie: Thank you.
Eric: It's a step up and I'm excited to chat with you all about it and learn more about the songs and what went into them. uh But first let's get a little background on the album. So previously you released "Grow Up", your last project, with Brace Cove Records, how did working with Get Better Records come about now that you're releasing "Loudmouth" with them?
Kate: Yeah, um we started working with our managers Heather's artist management um last summer and um they helped us helped introduce us to Get Better and um we spent a couple of weeks talking to, like, different labels sending out demos kind of going through that whole process. And we just really, sorry my voice is froggy, really ended up vibing a lot with Get Better and Alex and everybody that works there and so we decided to sign with them, and it's been two thumbs up.
Eric: Awesome. Yeah, I've heard you guys talk a lot in the past about you're building strong relationships in and around your music scene, and this music scene, and working with people that you find supportive of what your your images and what your message is and what what your art is trying to say. How would you say that, um excuse me it's all the smoke in the air, um how would you say Get Better has helped promote the message that you guys are trying to set forth with your music?
Taylor: I think we both have very similar, like uh, outlooks about the music industry and that we would both like it to be more community based and more inclusive um and more uplifting of uplifting of marginalized voices. So I honestly think it was very natural for us to kind of um platform their messaging and them to platform our messaging with "Loudmouth" um it was just really natural. I suppose uh because we both kind of look for the same thing in the music industry which is just a little bit more inclusion and kind people.
Listen to “LOUDMOUTH” on Spotify or wherever you stream your music:
If you like what we are doing please consider supporting us on Patreon, PayPal, or Venmo.
Review by: Eric Martin, Writer/Assistant Editor @eamartin95
Edited by: Eric Martin, Writer/Assistant Editor @eamartin95