Total Vacation

Reviews

Total Vacation Balloons cassette

California’s TOTAL VACATION packs up eleven short and sweet, full-throttle hardcore punk gems in their latest release, Balloons. It’s not one of those records that takes itself too seriously and that’s exactly why I love it. “Tough-guy hardcore” is good and all, but I think we need more of what TOTAL VACATION is bringing to the table: songs that are fun yet still grounded in the realities of the world. I personally love drum-dominated recordings, and this surely is one of them. It doesn’t mean that it has anything lacking, though. The riffs and songwriting are incredibly fun and the energy of the vocals is just perfect for the sound. The muffled, lo-fi nature of the recording and occasional sloppiness definitely add to the raw energy of the record, too. If you are a fan of the JUDY AND THE JERKS and have been in the search of something to scratch that itch, definitely check out Balloons.

Total Vacation TV EP

L.A. fastcore project with a DIY and have-fun hardcore punk ethos that could make you want to start a band with your friends. They won’t stop, because they can’t and they don’t want to. Mad and very energetic drive, cadences, and rhythm section. Versing on scene critiques, but also love and existence, achieving the status of an interesting EP—such great speed.

Total Vacation You Suckers Don’t Even Listen to Hardcore… cassette

You read the title before you started reading the review, right? Well, read it again and ask yourself: do you? Do you even listen to hardcore? Sucker? Nothing fancy from these Whittier Boulevard motherfukkrs, just short, fast bursts of hardcore. Equal parts INFEST and RAZOR’S EDGE, not sure what more you could want. If you even listen to hardcore, that is.