New York City noise-rock gods Unsane return with a vengeance on their seventh album. Recorded by the band and producer Andrew Schneider at Brooklyn’s Translator Audio (Shrinebuilder, Keelhaul, etc.), Wreck is an unfettered burst of pent-up emotions and frustrations channeled into song - an unflinching glance into a type of life others probably should not lead. From the shock and awe of lead track “Rat” and the stunningly damaged “Decay,” to the doom and gloom of the heavy-handed “No Chance” and the transcendental brainwork of “Stuck,” Wreck is darkly abrasive and poetic music delivered with a fearsome intensity. A punishing yet ultimately tuneful album, realistic in subject matter and as engaging as it is abrasive, the album showcases Unsane at their legendary best. Chris Spencer’s vocals and lyrics positively ache with fear and loathing (resembling the sound of a man trapped in the New York Subway system) while his searing Telecaster howl and pulverizing chords wreak havoc over Vincent Signorelli’s thundering drums and Dave Curran’s muscular, thick-aslava bass lines. Unsane celebrates its 20th anniversary by delivering the darkest and most personal record of their celebrated career; Wreck is the band’s defining moment.
