UNICORN

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This is an act that is apt at reaching into the inspiration junk drawer and always finding a handful of ideas that will suit their needs. It’s all incredibly similar stuff all over the place, from the analogue synths to the gated percussion, to the saxophone that trails through about half-a-dozen songs here, and sounds more perfunctory every single time. And so, when he’s left to fend for himself as a singer here, there’s a distinct lack of awareness among Gunship of how prominent that weakness can be. And with half a decade now to process that, you’d think that Unicorn might seek to redress the balance.

My favorites right now are Tech Noir II (a more upbeat sequel to the original), Empress Of The Damned (there's a lot going on in this song and it has a lot of energy and attitude) and Ghost (the music video is absolutely hypnotizing). GUNSHIP is an entity that has, since the first moment that I heard them, continually captured my imagination through their songs, aesthetic, and ability to be unique amidst a host of synthwave acts that rely too heavily on a single aspect of this burgeoning scene. It’d likely be more preferable than Alex Westaway, though he’s barely a presence here in his own right. Da menzionare, infine, le collaborazioni d'eccellenza, che spaziano dall'alfiere del genere Carpenter Brut allo storico batterista degli Slayer Dave Lombardo (Monster in Paradise).It’s impossible not to bop to, a glaring, neon-drenched synth banger that’ll lodge itself firmly in your skull. It’s also a massive undertaking, asking for just over an hour of your time which is a big ask; the good news is, that Gunship mostly justify the runtime, but there’s definitely room to trim back some of their more egregious excesses. I think looking back in 5-10 years this album will pale in comparison when compared to the first two. This chorus to this track owes me months of back rent but keeps invoking squatter’s rights as it kicks every other song to the curb when its territory is encroached upon.

Named after the international icon of fantasy and imagination, UNICORN is emblazoned with the tagline "Imagination Is A Weapon".

Tastes Like Venom’ is another solid floorfiller, but it feels like it’s lacking some oomph, or perhaps just the star-studded remainder of Unicorn ’s other opening songs overshadow it. The songs are great and varied but all with that GUNSHIP vibe, which blends so well with this album.