Don't judge a flower by its color
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| Be Safe - "Unwell" Label: Count your Lucky Stars |
The first impressions might be a bit misleading when it comes to BE SAFE's debut album "Unwell". They have Matt Wojcik, a former PERFECT FUTURE-member, with them. This band was one of the originals on Count your Lucky Stars and also part of the Emo-revival in the early 2010s. Though, BE SAFE's music doesn't really feel like anything Wojcik's former band did. The cover art, well, that's no safe trace either. It looks like something from the deep 90s, the early days of Midwest-Emo. BE SAFE definitely take something from that era, but more precisely they remind me of the period in the very late 90s and early 2000s.
A time, where Midwest-Emo was taken into a more Rock-/Alternative-Rock-tinged direction. BE SAFE remind me of bands like CROSS MY HEART, PEDRO THE LION, TIME SPENT DRIVING (who made a nice comeback last year) or BROKEN HEARTS ARE BLUE (who will return in 2024). The powerful guitar chords and the more compelling songwriting were significant for that time span in Emo. Though, it's not that easy when it comes to these nine songs. I'm quite impressed how BE SAFE smoothly go from memorable to loose structures, from catchy to challenging, from introspective to outgoing. That, the songwriting, is the big strength of "Unwell". The songs never follow a certain formula, in fact, they're pretty unconventionally composed at times. To throw around another reference (the last one!), the way their music flows is pretty similar to the unforgettable music of WAXWING. It's elegant and classy, but in a touching kind of way.
All that warrants a great replay value! Despite the fact that the album is only 30 minutes long and the tracks are mostly over before the 3-minute-mark, "Unwell" is surprisingly vast. It's a record that requests exploration. A record you can get lost in. And a record that has the potential to really grow on you. Personally I love those kind of slow burners. The ones that intrigue from the very first moment, but show more and more, beautiful sights to them, with each revisit. Like a flower that slowly starts to blossom...
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