Unschooling - New World Artifacts

Bad Vibrations

Hailing from Rouen, France comes breathe of fresh air, Unschooling, with their debut record, 'New World Artifacts'. Unschooling: learning based on what one wants to learn. The system isn't set. A somewhat hectic level playing field is laid out. Anything is possible. Anything goes. 

New World Artifacts is refreshingly left of center. Like the first breathe of air after an unexpected nap, uncertain of the world that one inhabits - shaky ground and uneven steps bring you back to life. The next 30-minutes runs to a different set of rules, before the body and mind align once again. A semi state. Not quite here or there. A bit everywhere. New World Artifacts is 'off' in the right way. Enough to cause the feeling that somethings not quite right, but well enough to not worry. There are shades of positive notions, though they meet the hard truth at every angle. Kept in line by realities reasoning. The book of weird rock has been read; the book of style? Certainly discovered. Aesthetically similar to acts like Cindy Lee - bittersweet bliss. Uncertainly certain. 

The face bears a grin, the mind holds the cards. Haunting tones hint at upset psyches. Slightly tilted from the norm. Beautifully askew. Gangly guitars coalesce along a winding, ribboning road; often leading back to square one; circling the drain with a smile. Sunshine comes with its fair share of shade, when sunshine ceases to exist it's all fair game.

The guitar sits at the forefront, almost as the focus, of the record. Getting itself in to knots, and untying said knots in the process. A back and forth of a seemingly endless quantity - and quality. The guitar doesn't veer too far from its set of tricks, its set of tricks being some of the best that 2023 has to offer, without question. Delicate and daring, forthright and thoughtful. Meandering with a wicked edge.

New World Artifacts is as gorgeous as it is unsettling; as wild as it is well-woven. A fine balance is at hand.