With three years since their last full-length, Young Livers have returned in top form. Of Misery & Toil walks the thin line between packing a serious punch and being accessible. The gritty tones of interwoven dual guitars and wailing vocals are suitable for soothing any angst you might be feeling, while the impressive melodies might be just enough to convince Grandma this is good music.
After you pick her up off the floor.
Typical to the genre, the band wastes no time getting to the point. “Born in Vein” sets the bar for where this album is planning to take you with soaring and relentless instrumentation and appropriate lyrics like, “From the beginning we knew we were through…we’d be thrown to the wolves.”
“All the Wretched” continues this despairing note, exclaiming, “I don’t want to die in bed…go out the way we came in: kicking and screaming.”
At the end of the album’s title track, we find the record is cut down the middle with a disturbing voice over that sounds like a ruined man leaving a voice message for his ex-lover. This theme is strung through the entire album and remains ambiguous, perhaps purposefully. But it seems to be a commentary on ending relationships and violence begetting significant change. Whether or not a former love is at the heart of this album, or if the relationship mentioned is between the band and their audience, is ultimately up to the listener. But it remains intriguing either way.
The production for Of Misery & Toil has been stepped up to wonderful effect. Every band member offers vocals on the record, and at times it becomes difficult to distinguish the anguished screams from the distorted strings. Chris Jordan’s driving drums offer a heart-pounding guide through the noise. Every now and then the band retreats into a certain aspect of a song and many of these moments are highlights of the album because they remind us we want the music to keep going.
Young Livers seem to have been asked if punk rock can be beautiful and despairing. They replied “yes” with Of Misery & Toil. One can only hope that this is not their swan song, even if it would be a perfect note to go out on.
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