The Unknowns – Uninvited (EP Review)

The Unknowns infuse broadway, jazz, and traditional blues on their new EP “Uninvited”.

The Unknowns is an all female five-piece band whose music takes inspiration from classic blues and soul music while infusing the sounds and song structures of contemporary pop.

“Uninvited” wholly embodies the sound that the band strives for and, for the most part, nails the blues elements they seek to embrace, especially in terms of vocal performance and storytelling.

The album’s opening track, “Stay Down Kat,” immediately conjures intrigue with the soft plucks of an acoustic guitar that feel like they’re preparing the listener for some traditional blues storytelling.

The lead singer then commands the song with a soft yet mysterious presence that fills the instrumental with a melancholic noir-like atmosphere, which builds itself towards a more jazzy, instrumentally focused climax by the end of the song.

“Never Enough”, feels like a touch of Motown with an upbeat feel and vintage doo-wop style that feels like it could be played by a record player. The instrumentation itself feels like it takes direct inspiration from artists like Aretha Franklin, Bobby Womack, and The Manhattans.

Once again, the song is brilliantly performed and professionally structured; everything feels clean, tight, and in the right place.

“Eyes of Distraction” is creatively one of the most unique tracks on the album, performance-wise, using background vocals and adlibs to emphasise the lead singer’s lyrics as if they were off-hand inner thoughts.

The piano is also a really interesting part of the track and adds a slightly darker emotional layer to the lead singer’s already emotional performance.

The EP then takes a slight dip in quality, in my opinion, in comparison to the previously mentioned tracks.

“Be Bad” is a much slower, jazzy track that feels a lot more suited to a dimly lit jazz club in the 50’s. The instrumentation is stripped back a little, leaving space for the guitar to command the sound of the production.

At first, I wasn’t a huge fan of the track, but after a few listens, I admit it grew to be my favourite from the EP.

I think the EP would’ve been better ending things with this song as opposed to “Socks”, a song that I think is pretty lacklustre in comparison to the subtle jazz grandiosity of the previous song.

Also, the lyrical content of “Sock” feels a little too cheesy and out of place; however, the instrumentation is still top-notch.

Score/Excellent: The Unknowns have produced a great EP that captures the essence of both jazz and vintage blues while adding their own modern pop twist. Although their songs aren’t really re-inventing the wheel, they’re a group that knows what they’re good at and does it well.

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