by Heather Williams (@heatermeow)
I dare you to experience the frenetic energy of Unschooling's EP Random Acts of Total Control. This post-punk four-piece band hails from the Rouen/Montréal/Notre-Dame-de-Gravenchon areas and their new EP comes to us via Howlin' Banana Records of Maisons-Alfort, France. Thieir wild and frenzied musical journey takes us through beautifully chaotic twists and turns with abrupt stops and gos of unpredictable shifts and tempos while staying true to the flow.
"More is More" drops us right into the driving chaos of the insistent guitars, daring you to dance, scream, and move to the wonderfully varied beats and movements all packed into one song. The next track, "Boo Boo Dragon," is sprinkled with unexpected shifts while letting the horns blast away the fog. It sounds like a giant machine with wildly different parts perfectly clanging and working together. "Social Chameleon" comes next and it is the quintessential song on this EP. A music video accompanies it that is full of random symbols and feels sporadic and beautifully manic, just like the song. I highly suggest checking this video out as an introduction to Unschooling's music and artistic drives.
"No Shoes" brings us right back into the frenzied and fevered dancing mix. It is a fun jump right into one of the most wild workouts of your life, followed by abrupt changes throughout the song that presents as different movements. This is one of the best parts of Unschooling: their undying drive to create several movements in each song and to keep you on your toes because it is hard to guess where they will go next. The unexpected changes are refreshing and feel good. The EP ends on "NYE," a beautifully cascading and galloping end to the album and the year. Definitely looking forward to putting on a wild outfit and going to see this band live.