I’m such a sucker for acoustic music and even more so for the Folk Punk genre so Vinnie Caruana’s solo release was a definite win for me with it’s acoustic guitar core, Vinnie’s rough seasoned vocals, and all the ambiance of background music.

Caruana says that he was inspired to do this album because of the impact of Hurricane Sandy in the area where he lives. I think knowing that before jumping into the E.P. really gave me something to think about when it comes to the first track on the album, Somehow The World Keeps Turning. So far I haven’t been able to find an interview or some sort of clarification on just what inspired this song, but taking the context of the inspiration for the E.P. and the lyrics, you come to your own conclusion. A tale of balancing out regret and successes in your life in the face of what could possibly be your imminent death. Thought provoking stuff made all the more powerful by Caruana’s emotional delivery backed by a well put together orchestration of sounds.

City By The Sea has little flares of familiarity to it while sustaining an individuality all it’s own. I hear some Mike Ness in there, some Swingin’ Utters, but what keeps the album from becoming one that you end up liking because it sounds like something else you like is the fact that the lyrics are so personable. Each track has a story all its own that rolls along on the rails of the album’s music, from acoustic backing to symphonic string accompaniments that set the mood at times. I was completely taken by surprise when I listened to the album for the first time and after the third or fourth time round I still found it fresh and easy to listen to. Well worth checking out.