Vinnie Caruana – City By The Sea (Xtra Mile Recordings)

Vinnie Caruana, frontman of punk icons I Am The Avalanche and seminal post-hardcore band The Movielife, has announced details today about his upcoming debut solo release, “City By The Sea,” out February 5th on I Surrender / Run For Cover Records. Caruana will be touring the US in support of “City By The Sea” (produced by Steve Choi from RX Bandits) throughout February on the Acoustic Basement Tour, along with Geoff Rickly (Thursday), A Loss For Words, Koji and Brian Marquis. Vinnie had this to say about hid new debut:

“The city was hit hard by Sandy and is doing its best to bounce back. It’s an incredible place to live and the people are proud to call it home. I moved here 3 years ago and intend to remain here as long as I can. I live very close to the ocean and it continues to be a huge inspiration to me and my music. I was very lucky compared to the thousands whose homes and lives were drastically affected by the storm and I won’t ever take that for granted. The boardwalk will be torn down and rebuilt very soon. It’s all part of the healing process. I really felt like I owed this to myself and to all the people who have supported my music for so long. I won’t let either of us down.”

Vinnie’s punk vocals are wonderfully growling over a stripped back acoustic guitar and tambourine, there’s also a bit of piano in there too, not what you would expect from a pure punk legend but it really does sound good in a sitting-round-a-campfire-a- a-festival kind of way. He has stripped away all of the furious back lines and thrumming lead guitar but what is left is a bolder and more confidant sound which has lost none of the edge and attitude so often associated with the punk music scene. 7.8/10
Helen Todner