Philadelphia’s The Loved Ones are back with an all new powerful punk rock album Build & Burn.  The foursome, spawning out of past projects, have outdone themselves on their sophomore release under Fat Wreck Chords.  This CD is full of energy from a tight group of friends and family making for an outstanding follow-up to 2006’s Keep Your Heart. 

Don't get discouraged just yet, this is not just a punk rock album as much as it is a CD full of good music.  The band does not prefer to have a genre, as they just like to make good music.  They could care less who they cater to and would rather meet people over selling records.

The thing I like the most about The Loves Ones is their roots.  With members of past projects, such as the Explosion and the Curse, it’s no wonder why their sound is so appealing.  It’s music created by kids who have been in the scene for years whether it be hardcore or plain old punk rock.  They know what they are doing and demonstrate it in Build & Burn.   Some may say this is pop punk music like everything else out there, but I say it exceeds that genre regardless how it is categorized.

The band formed in 2003 with original members Dave Hause (The Curse) and Mike Sneeringer (Trial By Fire).  With a line change up at the end of 2006, Chris Gonzalez and David Welsh of the Explosion became a part of the band.  As luck would have it, everyone was already friends with one another so the band had no problems adjusting to the newest additions.

Starting off the CD is “Pretty Good Year” a solid punk rock jam almost reminiscent of something Rancid might have created.  With this song talking about working hard and having fun I am pretty sure The Loved Ones can look forward to a good year. The energy I felt on this track alone made me very enthralled to hear the rest of the CD.