mxdwn PREMIERE: The Unfit Releases Sarcastically Optimistic Video for New Song “No Culture”

Sludgy noise rockers The Unfit are back with “No Culture,” the latest single from their recently-released self-titled debut album. Along with the release of the song, the band has put together a music video that is a perfect representation of the song’s lyrical and musical vibe – and really, the entire album’s – although it wasn’t exactly what the band had in mind when initially planning the video.

“We had plans to do a video for this song that included footage of the band, but when the Covid shutdown stuff started to happen, we had to rethink the concept,” said Jake Knuth. “We considered shooting it with social-distancing, masks, etc., but that seemed weird and would have dated the video and framed the song in a specific, unintended context. So, we hit up our friend Ryan who recently did a sort of diary of daily pictures on Instagram for a full 365 days. It was kind of mind blowing, hilarious, and insane, this stuff that he was creating every single day, and a lot of the pictures conveyed frustration, alienation, disgust, irony and sarcasm in a way that was in line with the music we were making. We basically mined these images for this lyric video and are super grateful to Ryan and his company Wild Moon Productions for giving us such great stuff to work with.”

More info about Ryan Taggart’s ‘Daily Dose of Inspiration’ project can be found here.

The band has been around for eight years after forming in 2012, but it wasn’t until this year that Jake Knuth, Michael Lee, T.J. Johnson, and Tyler Johnson were able to put together a full-length collection of tracks. The longtime friends and veterans of the Seattle music scene describe their sound as a mix of 80s and 90s punk, grunge and indie rock influences, which when put together sounds a bit reminscent of groups like The Jesus Lizard, Flipper or Pissed Jeans.

“No Culture” is based around a pair of power chords, shuffling and grinding back and forth as the lyrics (“where’s my culture?”) are spit out with plenty of piss and vinegar. As the song progresses and the guitar riff, still pogoing between two chords begins to move up the fretboard and the song provides the listener with the slightest hint of what could become a melodic refrain only to fall right back into the dirginess of the verses.

https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/806353159

The Unfit track list

1. “Caged Rats and Hamster Wheels”
2. “No Culture”
3. “I Don’t Get It”
4. “Spin It”
5. “Interest”
6. “The Living”
7. “Picture”
8. “Righteous”
9. “Progress”
10. “Pills”

Matt Matasci: Music Editor at mxdwn.com - matt@mxdwn.com | I have written and edited for mxdwn since 2015, the same year I began my music journalism career. Previously (and currently) a freelance copywriter, I graduated with a degree in Communications from California Lutheran University in 2008. Born on the Central Coast of California, I am currently a few hundred miles south along the 101 in the Los Angeles area. matt@mxdwn.com
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