Keeping the Peace

We Were Promised Jetpacks are becoming more and more likeable with age. The band, which contains all of its original members, are all old high school friends. And after moving from Edinburgh to Glasgow and having released several EPs, a live album and now three full-lengths, there still seems to be no bad blood. Their latest release Unravelling contains 11 songs and a few things we’ve never heard them do before.

Opener “Safety in Numbers” is welcoming and fast-paced and upbeat enough to easily suck you in.  Adam Thompson’s voice is likeable and generally easy to sing along with. While there tends to be a lot happening between the guitars of Thompson and Michael Palmer, Darren Lackie’s drums and newest member Stuart McGachan’s keys and guitars, some places are a little too slow, like in “Keep It Composed.” This could be a sign of patience and maturity, but the post/pop punk from the previous two albums is missed a little.

Slow isn’t always bad though, like in “Disconnecting.” The piano addition was much-needed and ends up showing a whole new side to the band.

“Peace of Mind” is six minutes of strictly instrumentals and sometimes feels like you’re listening to Explosions in the Sky. It was stuck on repeat for the better part of a half hour, by choice. Follow-up and closer “Ricochet” is another beauty.

We Were Promised Jetpacks have certainly come a long way from that one fateful day they won the battle of the bands contest in Edinburgh. The addition of McGachan seems like a good move and hopefully with time he’ll mesh with the band like he’s been there the whole time. Unravelling isn’t a masterpiece but the title is fitting and you will find a few A+ tracks on it. Have these guys won an award for having the best band name ever yet?