Album Review: Live It Up

I put the new Flirting with Disaster album on in the car and turned it up, and BOOM from the opening track, Live It Up, I was struck but the super pumped pop punk rock groove. Sounding very much like Blink 182, but better, as it’s more raw and real. Combining down-to-earth themes with fast riffs and hooks that are so catchy you instantly feel good, plus the vocal work is so coherent and strong joining in on the chorus is irresistible. An independent band with a self-produced debut of this quality is rare, the songs have been put down with excellent clarity, you can hear all the outstanding bass and drum work, as well as all the chunky guitar parts, and of course the brilliant lead vocals from Chazz and Tony, with wonderful backing vocal accompaniments from the rest of the band. The guitar sound from Chazz and Ash is crisp and raunchy, Kev on Drums nails fills and drills in frenetic military precision with Tony’s formidable bass lines helping to enrich the cool riffs, and driving rhythm of the songs.

The feel good tunes are all energetic and tight, with catchy choruses, wrapped around great breaks, bridges and solos. Most tracks kick off with a sweet fluid guitar riff followed by crunchy guitar and bass grinding on the beat in locked rhythmic perfection. The track Take You Higher is a perfect example of this song structure, well in fact 8 out of 10 are struck from this pure pop formula and why not, it’s so strong, uplifting and absorbing. Not every band can pull this off quite so well, but these guys obviously enjoy their work individually and get off on the amplified sum of the parts that are produced when they lock in together and pour out these great tunes.

Two tracks show some of their broader talents and tastes with the meaningful and melodic, Let It Go and Take You Higher the latter a superb duet with the lovely sounding Emla Palmer, with sweet melodies and delightful vocal harmonies, each track doesn’t hesitate to show off more sublime distorted guitar work that bursts into the fray very effectively.

I recently caught these guys live and they reproduce these songs very faithfully so I know it’s not just a studio created sound, it is the sound of a real four piece punk rock band and their debut album Live It Up is worth your time and ears that’s for sure.