Better late than never. Recorded during the same 2009 sessions that yielded their 2010 album Savages, Vultures United's new seven-inch, To Live and Die in Gainesville, finds the band offering up four more throaty hardcore tunes. While they have a slight "you heard the best, here's the rest" quality, Gainesville is nonetheless a solid set.
"To Live and Die in Gainesville" is a little too on-the-nose, but it comes from such a pure, honest place. It's a love letter to the Fest, and the lyrics swoon over how many great punk bands get crammed into such a small space. The same stumbling directness limits the next track, "Slam Dances With Wolves." As a hardcore song, it's great and energetic. As a critique of Sarah Palin, it lacks nuance ("Had a retarded president / Now we have to deal with you"), but it's still effective.
A Good Riddance cover ("Heresy, Hypocrisy & Revenge") opens the B side. "The Black Shirts," a semi-researched track about Nazism, beats listeners with its story and vocals. Compared to what made it on to Savages, it's obvious why these songs were pushed aside. Gainesville is a decent set from Vultures United, but it's far from their best.