British synthwave band Gunship, made up of Alex Westaway, Dan Haigh and Alex Gingell, recently dropped their third studio album Unicorn. The band keeps their sound of ’80’s pop rock throughout the entire tracklist, making this a great addition to their previous records. To summarize it in one sentence, the album transforms into a nostalgic film playing alongside the lyrics as the clear plotline.
The journey begins with the opening track “Monster in Paradise” which feels like infinite layers of sound- the electric drums, digital synthesizer and saxophone all layering. The lyrics send a clear message of painful love, “It’s better to reign in hell than to serve in heaven” and “Spin the wheel and light the tires / Take me back towards the fire.”
In this song the instrumentation was extremely vital, the use of MIDI Controllers in the beginning allows for the anticipating build-up. The consistent orchestrated beat is the ideal way to hook your listeners, both new and loyal fans.
Gunship keeps this lyrical theme throughout the majority of the tracks. “You’re dangerous like they said / You taste like venom, taste like venom” from the track “Taste Like Venom” and “She blows my mind like nobody else could do” from the track “DooM Dance.” The song “Holographic Heart” hints that the toxic lover may not have even loved them at all, as if they had a fake heart – “That girl from Miami / Cold, cold holographic heart.”
There’s a change of narrative when we reach the track “Darkness for Dreams” where the feminine voice reappears throughout the album singing their point of view against the score. She whispers behind the bridge “Falling in love for the first time / All the future we secure” as the masculine voice sings “There is no room left in electric heaven / With the spoils of machine war infected dualism.”
The instruments and composition in this song in particular contrast just like the lyrics. There is a ticking sound in the beginning and ending, signaling the finale of the possible relationship. The tone of this song is heavier and in a lower octave making “Darkness for Dreams” instrumentally lean in the masculine’s perspective with very little notes of the feminine.
From the clear choices of how the list was curated, the band is trying to create a notion of heartbroken toxic love. The band’s curated genre of retro ’80’s synth-pop adds more personality and meaning to each song, voices blending together – like those often found in the wistful film and videos. This is the perfect band and accompanying album for any John Carpenter fans.
“Run Like Hell” is further down in the track list, but this song in particular highlights the instrumentals against the lyrics. The electric drums keep you drawn in, while the lyrics are what separates it from the rest, as the only feel good song of the album. The first verse opens the general feel of the song with “How about a little taste of what’s in sight / How about a little fun before we die / Get lost / It’s somebody else’s turn to fight / There’s nobody else like you.”
At first listen, the album is primarily made up of popular sound structures and poetic lyrics that may sound the same, but each are an integral part of the album’s story. Gunship took this opportunity in their album Unicorn to play on the definition of the mythical animal. Like a unicorn, at first glance love is engulfing and deeply infatuating. That is until it can take a turn for the worse, a unicorn and love can become monsters.
What makes this album unique and the band itself is their sound and instrumentation throughout each song. The last track, “Postcard from the American Dream,” is the goodbye; the song that plays as the credits roll at the end. The very last line of this is a call and response: “Who’s gonna save us / We’re gonna save ourselves.” By the end of the album, the plot comes to a close when they realize all their pain can only be fixed by themselves and move on for the better.
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