Orlando trio Vicious Dreams closes their excellent new album Turn Off My Brain with a cover of the Pointed Sticks staple Out of Luck. While this song has been covered extensively, Vicious Dreams breathes new life into it by adding a rough edge rather than further quickening its already high pace.

This approach of reanimating familiar elements works equally well for the original tracks that kick off the album. Vicious Dreams’ melodic punk rock is rooted in a late ’70s and ’80s sound rather than in the ’90s, and has been meticulously crafted for maximum impact. Even the record’s lyrical content is classic punk rock: feeling out of step with the world. Vicious Dreams spices up all these familiar elements enough to deliver a fresh listening experience.

If you need one more reason to check Turn Off My Brain, know that it is being released by an impressive coalition of trusted labels: Swamp Cabbage, Brassneck Records, GC Records, and Dirt Cult Records. Trust them, this record rocks.

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