Highly renowned by their peers for their innovative and mesmerizing delivery, Scotland’s We Were Promised Jetpacks have truly defined themselves amongst the modern alternative rock community over the years. With an enticing name to resonate with their explosive sound, the Edinburgh-based quartet brings to life their most confidentially articulate release to date this year with their third studio effort, Unravelling.
What truly makes Unravelling stand alone in comparison is the group’s polished approach of songwriting that not only centers its focus on their progressive musicianship, but also uniquely embraces the power and astonishment of their previous work.
Just like their 2009 debut, These Four Walls, the record unravels with an atmospheric introduction in the opening number, “Safety In Numbers,” that captivates listeners with spacey leads and an electronic melody that blissfully transitions into a climatic buildup to keep you on the edge of your seat. This is one consistent quality in style that the band continues to perfect throughout, specifically in standalone tracks like “Peace Sign” and “A Part Of It” that offer serene harmonies that delightfully clash with crunching reverb and heavily distorted guitar parts.
While “I Keep It Composed,” “Bright Minds” and “Moral Compass” provide stripped-down indie rock elements that take similar queues from dreamy acts like Bloc Party and The Bravery, the instrumental anthem “Peace Of Mind” genuinely takes us back to the band’s wondrous sound we know and love.
Unravelling is a refreshing album that further proves that We Were Promised Jetpacks are still alive and well. The excitement that comes from listening to Unravelling for the first time will leave you with a highly satisfied sense of awe and amazement. Considering the dramatic time gap in between since 2011’s In The Pit Of The Stomach, this record was truly worth the wait.
In A Word: Atmospheric
