Review Summary: Gunship deliver another batch of gorgeous and emotional tracks, drenched in their perfected synthwave sound.
With album number three, Gunship solidly reinforce their leadership of the synthwave movement. As on their self-titled debut and Dark All Day, on Unicorn they combine the colourful, neon sonics of the 80s with traditional rock song formulas and vocals. The songs have great depth instrumentally, with each track featuring so many layers that you can uncover a new one on each listen. The music remains very accessible, however, as the structures and vocals are straightforward enough that it is easy to get into, even for those not au fait with electronic music.
Although this album does not expand the band’s sound as much as Dark All Day did, the band continues to deliver an eclectic mix of songs within their own style, so things never get overly repetitive. There’s the bouncing pop of ‘Tastes Like Venom’, the harder hitting and Nine Inch Nails inspired tracks like ‘Empress of the Damned’ and ‘DooM Dance’, as well as the softer, emotional ‘Tech Noir 2’ and ‘Postcard from the American Dream’.
It will depend what you’re looking for going into the album, but those heartwarming tracks are often where the band shines most brightly, especially for fans of tracks like ‘When You Grow Up, Your Heart Dies’ and ‘Rise the Midnight Girl’ on Dark All Day. With Alex Westaway’s vulnerable vocals on top of delicate, touching melodies, they again produce another batch of songs that will hit you right in the soul. It is where Gunship’s most natural sound appears to be and their highlights often fall into this group.
The band again recruit several guests to help on the album with remarkable success. Despite half a dozen signers featuring across the album, it never feels disjointed. These feature tracks also give us one of the very best songs on the album ‘Tech Noir 2’, which contains a gorgeous chorus from Charlie Simpson, making it a superb sequel to one of the band’s already standout tracks. And it is not only singers who feature, as Tim Capello’s saxophone makes a return across the album, as the band doubles down on an aspect of what made Dark All Day such a fun and unique listen.
The fact that we had to wait five years for a follow-up to Dark All Day may explain one weakness of Unicorn in that it can feel long, with 14 tracks coming in at just over an hour. This is not a major flaw, as virtually all the tracks stand up on their own, although an absence of outright bangers in the mid-section means you can find your mind starting to wander. This is until another album highlight and emotional heavyweight ‘Run Like Hell’ comes on at track 12 and hits you right in the gut of your soul.
Pick any song on the album though and it will make you feel something. As well as their skill in nailing the sound of a movement sonically, Gunship’s ability to convey emotion in their music means they will always stand tall against any band of any genre. Unicorn certainly delivers on this front and is a fine addition to the band’s catalogue and a must listen for anyone who enjoyed their first two albums.
