Swoll

Unwound

Blight, 2019

9/10

Listen to Unwound

Spearheaded by Matt Dowling (the EFFECTS, Paperhaus, Deleted Scenes), it turns out Unwound is Dowling’s favorite band, and the Olympia post-punk legends inspired this sophomore Swoll album.

“L4F” starts the listen with glowing synth before playful vocals enter the eccentric pop setting, and “Setting Sun” follows with a firm beat amid an adventurous and post-punk influenced delivery.

Elsewhere, the title track bares little resemblance to the Olympia heroes and instead flows with a soulful, electro-pop spirit, while “Shudder To Think” has a few similarities to the DC legends, and offers a buzzing template of experimental ideas that draws more parallels to Girls Against Boys.

At the end, “Where You Go” comes with some of the best falsetto vocal work present in the dreamy package, and “Haydee’s” exits the listen with a blistering pace of punchy, charged, ‘80s nods and New Wave friendly genius.

Though synth and beats are handled by Benjamin Schurr, everything else is Dowling, and while on the surface this bares little kinship to Unwound’s music, Swoll embraces the artistic side of rock in like-minded ways that help make Unwound an exceptional record.

Travels well with: Luna Honey- Peace Lives; New Order- Movement