UNA Weaves a Story Worth Listening To

The Los Angeles based UNA is set to release their first full-length album in three years, Noise of the Wing. The four piece band has created an album that soulfully recounts a story of love and heartbreak, adventure and contemplation. Noise of the Wing is wonderfully done and wholly encapsulating.

Citing sources of inspiration such as Agnes Obel and Chet Faker, UNA has accepted their reputation as a band that some can’t quite pigeon-hole. “Sometimes people think we’re weird and we embrace that,” notes vocalist Jennifer Nice. Opening with the track “One By One,” Nice’s voice and the plucking guitar notes dance around each other, as if recounting a ancient folk tale. The beat picks up, along with accompanying vocals, acting as a sort of audience for her intimate narrative. “Trailblaze” returns to Nice’s weaving of the story, using her voice to take funky bass lines and ’80s synth, along with fresh melodies, and tie them all together.

“Last Time I Saw You,” one of the lead singles from the album, is lifted up by passionate and haunting vocals from Nice. The beat is steady, rumbling behind Nice’s vocals, which flow easy and smooth. It is a balance of blues and complex, modern melodies. The album ends shimmery and subdued with the track “I Want to Believe,” and it feels incredibly intimate, straight from a smoky jazz lounge. As other voices join in, a kaleidoscope of sound ensues.

Elaborating on that intricate blend of sounds, UNA’s guitarist and drummer Scott Eric Olivier says, “We got with an acoustician, made custom cables, had a lot of crazy things fabricated in the studio, and now we only put in our noise.” Richard Larsen, the band’s keyboardist and producer adds, “There’s a lovely ruckus on our tracks, noise we spent a lot of time and effort creating.” Larsen says, “We love noise, we’ve always loved noise, almost more than music,” he continues, “like other hard to find things, you have to get down to the essentials.”

Every track is proof that the group has taken a considerable amount of effort to make a unique sound. The album is dramatic and wistful, mixing genres into a perfect story. Noise of the Wing is easily one of the most interesting releases of 2018.