It’s almost like some bands relish obscurity. Even after consulting the oracle of Google, it certainly took a bit of research to determine that The Unravelling is actually a three-piece band from Australia. One listen to their album though and you’d think they had just stepped out of an eighties time warp. Yes, retro is the new black again and it is once more electro pop in the basement time.
It’s not as bad as I made it seem with my last comment though. There is much to charm your ears in Ciara McKeown’s reverential vocals as she alternately swishes sweetness and a deadpan logicality over the lyrics just like they did when it was cool to be too cool for school. Talking of the lyrics, there is more than a touch of the New Age sentiments to them that squares nicely with the old style monotone plastic accompaniment and, while “Skylights” and “Doctor” would do the business in a montage for an old John Hughes directed teen movie, there is still the impression that a good DJ could remix many of these songs into something more than a bit devastating on the dance floor.
Since “Everything Is Normal” is apparently the band’s debut album and despite the limitations brought about by the no doubt paltry recording budget, I’ll give The Unravelling a cautious welcome. Now I’ve got the urge to consult the oracle of Google and find out whatever happened to Stacey Q…