image taken from unwound.bandcamp.com

unwound is:
sara lund: drums
vern rumsey: bass
justin trosper: guitar, vocals
from tumwater/olympia, washington, usa

(first listen) april 15 2022:

6. all souls day - 8

7. usual dosage - 8

final ranking: 8.02/10

(second listen) april 24 2022:

unwound just keeps exploding on this record. graduating from the olympia, washington punk scene, new plastic ideas begin to show unwound's post-hardcore and alternative rock side. it may sound messy and unpolished at first, but after several listens, it becomes evident that lund, ramsey, and trosper are all on the same page. trosper's guitar playing gives the album a lot of its angular, jagged feel. he's really freaking out on guitar on this record. but where the power on this album comes from is lund's consistent erratic drumming, and ramsey's strong basslines. the songwriting is strong too. whilst new plastic ideas showcases the band's ability to compltely blast, songs like abstraktions and most of arboretum plays on unwound's softer and restrained side, almost slowcore-like. unwound are just as well master's of the pixies-patented loud-quiet formula the spread into alternative music in the 90s, and new plastic ideas is no exception. songs like all souls day or arboretum will lure you into its melodic and noisy guitar work, before punching you before you even know that the band exploded. overall, new plastic ideas is a very well crafted work, and i'm excited to here more from them after this. a great album from unwound.

final ranking: 8.52