For their tenth LP in a career spanning more than two decades, Tulsa’s Unwed Sailor deliver their heaviest riffs, loudest squalls, and most deeply textured arrangements yet. Cruel Entertainment is a catalogue of contrasts – dissonance and harmony, hardcore crunch and post-rock grandeur, complexity and catchiness – that adds a vibrant new dimension to the second phase of their discography, spanning thus far from 2019’s landmark Heavy Age up to the “vivid, starry-eyed psychedelia” (AllMusic) of 2024’s Underwater Over There.
Opener and lead single, “Rock Candy”, roars in with a gale of feedback, pounding drums, and nimble bass, until a latticework of howling guitars ushers us into a more goth-tinged space. It’s a characteristically intricate, energetic composition that flows with remarkable ease between its parts, and wastes not a moment of its three minutes. “Slab City” rolls on an assured, upbeat groove, shifting between tambourine-accented acoustic strumming and sparkling harmonies that spread out across the stereo field. As always, lead songwriter Johnathon Ford’s bass performance provides the bedrock, alternately growling in the depths and buzzing with lively finesse in the upper register.
“Monster Collecting” brings a rare combination of melancholic and driving energy, reminiscent of avowed heroes New Order, but ups the ante with a tight, fast-paced rhythm section and litany of guitar lines, until opening up into a cascade of reverberating textures and tenuous sweetness. “Love Zoo” highlights the inventive drumming of Matt Putman, who creates negative space in his patterns to interlock with guitarist David Swatzell’s stacked, dextrous melodies. Here, the band shines as a truly well-oiled machine, swelling and receding in unison, and situating every part in its right place, down to the otherworldly electronic flourishes that adorn the backdrop.
According to Ford, the title Cruel Entertainment refers to “the hardships of being an artist and musician in the crowded, imbalanced world of social media and streaming,” where the completion of a new work demands that the creator also be a promoter, content strategist, and agent, among many other intensifying challenges. Pointedly drawing inspiration from noisier, rowdier bands – including Fugazi, Quicksand, and Cherubs – here they seek a much-needed catharsis in the ongoing fight to keep the creative soul intact.
Second side standout, “Monty Donahue”, typifies this form of release, as massive, mid-tempo percussion leads a fluid low end theme – inspired by the dual bass assault of Dianogah – and Swatzell’s chords burst into shimmering nebulas across a labyrinthine arrangement that’s equally loud and beautiful. Title track, “Cruel Entertainment”, is a mosaic of sound for which Ford’s bass provides the mortar: taut drums list between the channels, washes of guitar stretch to the horizon, and metallic heaviness punctuates the drift. There is a confident immensity here, proving that, although Unwed Sailor have witnessed a wild amount of changes in the music industry, their knack for creating complex, vital, and masterfully produced work remains untouched.
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