VISUAL LEARNER – Greg - New LP

The Minneapolis four piece make a conscious effort to put an emphasis on the punk parts of their sound, with lots of noisiness thrown in for good measure. Like any Minneapolis band with scrappy melodic songs, comparisons to The Replacements and Hüsker Dü come around. The members have decades of contemporary DIY experience between them in bands from New England, The South and The Midwest. It wasn’t until the last five years that the members (Zac Mayeux - vocals, guitar Avery Taylor - guitar, backing vocals Morgan Purcell - bass, backing vocals (lead on “Cure All”) Tim Chandler – drums) all relocated to Minneapolis having previously put in time in Notches, Scrounger, Kira Jari, Billy Raygun, Rag Rage and Coordinated Suicides among many others.

Visual Learner are pop punk in the most Minneapolis way imaginable, this pop-forward mixture of peak early ’90s college rock and Denton-style power pop. Avery Taylor from the band is originally from Denton and the Marked Men’s Jeff Burke mastered this album. The songs across Greg do everything exactly right. They’re catchy, and thanks in large part to Tim Chandler‘s drumming and Morgan Purcell’s bass, fully relentless. If you haven’t heard “THEMCHARMINGHAMMS” before, it’s a masterpiece. I love Morgan’s vocals on the album’s most aggro track “Cure-All.” I’ve taken Greg for a few drives and it sounds better every time. It’s one of those bands that’s brand new but the songs sound like they’ve been on community radio rotation since 1993. It rules.
Greg was recorded by Matt Castore at Soft Cult Studios in Minneapolis, mixed by Jeff Burke (Marked Men, Radioactivity), mastered by Will Killingsworth (Orchid, Ampere) at Dead Air Studios. The record powers through ten songs in under 30 minutes dealing with loss and grief, ego, shit jobs. Standouts like “Columns” “In a Snare” “Factual Heckler” and “Cure-All” showcase the bands dark but melodic brand of pop-punk. released 2025 Zac Mayeux - Vocals, Guitar Avery Taylor - Guitar, Backing vocals Morgan Purcell - Bass, Backing vocals (lead on track 7) Tim Chandler - Drums Recorded February-March 2025 by Matt Castore at Soft Cult Studios in Minneapolis, MN. Mixed by Jeff Burke. Mastered by Will Killingsworth at Dead Air Studios. All artwork by Zac.