We Were Promised Jetpacks is an indie outfit known for blending electronic and synth elements into a harder rock sound. The band’s newest release, “Unravelling,” stays true to the style of previous albums — basslines are prominent and percussive, dual reverb-drenched guitars churn out slick riffs, and Adam Thompson sings in his distinctive Scottish lilt. The production is rather dark and heavy on the bass, and several songs incorporate synth into the overall arrangement.
Therein lies the problem: the album is so flat it can be completely summed up in three sentences. There’s nothing dynamic or exciting going on — no truly innovative technical work or genuinely catchy hooks.
The songs quickly become plodding. Case in point: the more-than-five-minute-long “Disconnecting,” a meandering number built upon the same riff played again and again. With a more interesting guitar or bass line, this might be acceptable. In a much, much shorter song this might be acceptable. Here, it’s self-indulgent and boring. One uninspired riff does not constitute creative composition.
The song which follows, “Bright Minds,” features some of the album’s more interesting electronic additions. A looped guitar part breaks up and digitally decays. A mostly-monotone high synth follows the song’s main guitar loop. This technique is interesting, but it doesn’t elevate the song past the fact that it lacks a distinct chorus or hook. Progressive music doesn’t necessarily need these standard elements, but We Were Promised Jetpacks never gets complex enough to actually be considered progressive. They instead tread a vague in-between, less-approachable form of rock music — but one not unique enough to hold much of one’s attention.
The album does have its high points, however. “A Part of It” is a strong, straightforward rock song propelled by an ambitious drum beat which builds into a sweeping chorus. Thompson’s singing is also at its most dynamic and melodic here, where on other songs he often tends to mumble low in his register.
Still, pleasant moments like these are outweighed by slogs like the album’s penultimate track, “Peace of Mind.” Topping six minutes, the song is primarily a growing instrumental. There’s nothing inherently wrong with that — bands like Titus Andronicus use the four-minute instrumental build-up to great effect all the time. On “Peace of Mind,” though, the build-up serves no purpose. It never grows in complexity, only in volume. The band plays the same series of chords and guitar licks over and over almost unchangingly. This isn’t worth listening to.
We Were Promised Jetpacks seems to just lack a certain spark. In different arrangements, several of the songs on “Unravelling” might not be so dull. Unfortunately, as it stands, most of the album is uninspired and uninteresting.
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