Review: Unturned prove rising star with ‘Sunk’

First album for Minneapolis pop punk band since signing with No Sleep Records

NO SLEEP RECORDS | Photo Courtesy
The five-track album may be the band’s debut since signing with No Sleep Records, but they are far from novices in the pop punk scene.

Unturned is one of the most well-known pop punk bands in the Minneapolis scene. In part for their tireless touring and their dialed in skills. But despite “Sunk” being their first album with No Sleep Records, they are far from newcomers, and their prowess certainly shows in their five-track debut.

‘Swimming’

“Sunk” opens with this grooving high-energy song.

‘Swimming’ opens with the slow increase of high gain guitar rising from the silence. The explosion of drums and the addition of a second guitar officially kick the song off.

Its singable quality fulfills the pop punk tenant of cathartic yelling.

Much like March, “Swimming” comes in as a lamb and out like a lion.

‘Shake’

High gain guitar is overlaid with melodic math guitar accents. A story of love gone wrong between a guy who feels he was entirely out of his league, the song is deceptively pop-y while the vocals bemoan, “It’s getting hard to breath when I’ve always got my foot in my mouth.”

‘Comedown’

“Comedown” is anything but that. Just because this song is the last on their record doesn’t mean the fun has to stop. The active math guitar that is slowly becoming a staple of the Minnesota and Iowa scene really shines in the closing track.

Unturned pulled out all of the stops in their debut work since being signed to DIY label No Sleep Records, a welcome sign for fans both old and new. And one that is certainly a sign of a bright future for the five-piece band in a thriving Midwest pop punk scene.

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