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Unlettered – Five Mile Point

Florian Buechting Media Review No Comments

Unlettered - Five Mile Point

Unlettered - Five Mile Point
3.8

Rating

 3.8/5

Flyctory.com Pros

  • Nice post punk album
  • Very good closing songs

Flyctory.com Cons

  • A bit too much monotony

I like looking at new bands and new projects. Thus, I was also very happy, when a promotion agency offered me to have a listen into Five Mile Point, the debut album of Unlettered. It has been released on 22nd November 2024.

 

Unlettered – About The Project

Unlettered is a post-punk project by US-American multi-instrumentalist Mike Knowlton. He is for example known as the New York State-based art rock band Poem Rocket. In 2023, Unlettered released three EPs, Port Royal, Selinsgove, and New Egypt. For Five Mile Point, Knowlton’s wife Kelly Grimm is joining the project as a collaborator.

 

Unlettered – Five Mile Point – Track by Track

The nine track album lasts 40 minutes.

1. Dither

Five Mile Point is opening with the song Dither. The song feels a bit rough and distorted, the instruments are definitely very present and even feel to overlay the vocal part. Overall, Dither is an enjoyable first track, which has a rather laid back, relaxed touch.

2. She Is Inside You

Unlettered released two singles before the album, She Is Inside You is one of them. The song is close to five minutes. The first some fifty seconds are instrumental, before you also hear the voice of Mike Knowlton. The song feels comparably nonchalant with a touch of being repetitive. Especially towards the middle of the song, I long that something new is happening. In fact, just when you start thinking about the skip button, the second song of Five Mile Point speeds up and goes for some variation.

3. Median Coverage

Median Coverage is the first song which is also featuring Kelly Grimm on the vocal side. Again, the song is using quite some electronic distortion. The narrative style of the female vocalist feels monotonous, but is thereby also a very intense atmosphere. The sound of the third track is definitely very special in the context of the album.

4. The Great Dwindle

The fourth track of the album is mashing up the experimental style of the songs before with typical post-punk elements. Even though The Great Dwindle might not be as virtuous, it feels covering a vast range of sounds after listening to the tracks before. The wide usage of distortion and the rough guitar riffs also add an indie touch to this one.

5. About Time

The guitars at the beginning of About Time feel like a siren, especially as they are put on a bed of dark, steady guitar riffs. Together with the rather limited range of notes, this creates a scared feeling while listening to these three minutes. A very intense composition, indeed.

6. 12:49

Also the first notes and chords of 12:49 lead to heavy and dark atmosphere. These four minutes, however, are even more intense and frightening than the songs before. At some parts of the sixth track of the album, this feeling gets rather massive. However, Unlettered add some easier to digest elements in the second part of the song.

7. Leave Behind

I feel that choosing Leave Behind as one of the two singles of the album has been a very wise decision. The song is based on a rather melodic philosophy and might thus attract listeners more easily. Nonetheless, the song does not feel like an alien element within the nine song record.

8. Boon Dog

Five Mile Point closes with its two longest tracks. The first one is Boon Dog, which si almost five minutes long. The song surprised me in a positive sense. There are repeating elements, which form the backbone of the song. However, it still feels very melodic and also works less with distortion elements. Overall, the song also has a nice flow.

9. Services Rendered

Services Rendered is taking the chucker-out role of Unlettered’s debut. However, this farewell is slightly prolonged and finishes just before the seven minute mark. The song goes through different parts and thus reminds me of its predecessor. I really like it, due to its rather dramatic plot.

 

Unlettered – Five Mile Point – Spotify

Here is the album on Spotify:

 

Unlettered – Five Mile Point – My View

Five Mile Point is definitely no mainstream music. Post-punk is likely no mainstream music at all. But the record is a good listen and illustrates the potential behind the project Unlettered. Here and there, there is a bit too much monotony in my point of view, though.

Favorite Song: Boon Dog

 

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