The Unswept will take you back in time with their adventurous new power-pop album Fast Casual. The Unswept is made up of cousins Charlie, Liz and Ryan O’Brien who all grew up in Sheffield, England. During their youth the O’Briens played in several bands together before coming to the states to follow a job opportunity. The group soon settled in the Logan Square neighborhood of Chicago where they’ve been a part of the power-pop scene for more than a decade. Power-pop is a form of pop rock that originated in the 1960’s amongst Americans who came of age during the British Invasion. The Unswept is shaking things up by stepping out of their post-Beatles sound and exploring new genres on Fast Casual. By blending joyous melodies with honest lyrics The Unswept brings Power-pop into the modern day.
Fast Casual is a thought provoking high energy retro daydream. From opening track “You Keep Me Company” to closing track “Sometimes Always” The Unswept take you on a ride. Immediately I’m taken aback by the personality of The Unswept. I found myself laughing and nodding along to multiple songs on Fast Casual, a reaction I realized I rarely have when I listen to music. The unfiltered nature of The Unswept’s lyrics allow for more honest moments and sentiments to be felt. Fast Casual is on the pulse of the human experience, take the opening lyrics of “Codependent,” “If you want to be my lover, don’t act like my mother/Cause I just couldn’t handle it.” The Unswept don’t waste any time in letting their audience know where they’re at, a trait that is rather rare nowadays. So many musicians only reference ‘he’ or ‘she’ in their music and use colorful language to express their feelings, The Unswept tell you like it is.
BANDCAMP: theunswept.bandcamp.com/
The commitment to not hiding how they really feel allows for The Unswept to experiment with new sounds and tones. They display this beautifully with tracks “Try To Forget You” and “Please Don’t Waste My Time.” These two tracks show off the two sides of The Unswept, the original Unswept and the new. “Please Don’t Waste My Time” is set to a sunny melody that makes you want to frolic around a green meadow. This is one of the most gentle tracks off of Fast Casual that packs the most punch. My favorite lyric says it all,“Please don’t waste my time/Its all I have to live.” On the flip-side, “Try To Forget You” has a groovy guitar riff that makes the whole track crackle. The vocal performance on “Try To Forget You” doesn’t have the same feeling of levity that “Please Don’t Waste My Time,” there’s more emotion to it. The powerful vocal performance on “Try To Forget You” makes it feel like The Unswept are trying to convince themselves to move on right then and there. These two tracks have such distinct tones and feelings to them but keep you hanging on every word with how present they are.
There’s a rawness to Fast Casual that manifests through The Unswept’s textured vocals. The O’Brien’s naturally have voices that are well suited to power-pop, bringing more emotion to every verse than most films bring in two hours. The reason that Fast Casual is so compelling is because the attitude the O’Brien’s sing with is never lost. The Unswept opts for the melodies to serve as support rather than taking over the whole song. By isolating the vocals you really get to hear and let the lyrics sink into you. That’s what creates the interactive and familiar feeling of Fast Casual. I kept feeling like I was having a conversation with The Unswept or like I was overhearing a nearby conversation throughout my listening experience. This boldness in their language and perspective is what ties Fast Casual together.
Clay Burton