Boston straight edge hardcore powerhouse SPIRITS (video interviewed for IDIOTEQ 2 years ago) have released a bunch of details on their new record Unrest, recorded last year, mixed by Kurt Ballou of CONVERGE and mastered by Brad Boatright at Audiosiege, and slated for a September 8th release via State of Mind Recordings, Useless Pride Records, Here And Now Records, and Ride & Hun Music! Check out the full statement below and scroll down to unleash 2 amazing tracks The Syndicate and Eyes Of Love, available with full lyrics! This record will be a banger!
It’s been a long 12 months of preparation here in our little corner of the world but the time has finally come for our sophomore record, UNREST, to be sent out into the airwaves for all to hear. We spent two weeks in the late spring of 2016 holed up in our practice space in Boston tracking the record ourselves before sending it up to God City Studio in Salem, MA to be mixed by Kurt Ballou. Mastering was handled by Brad Boatright at Audiosiege. Artwork layout/design was handled by Doug Dean from Pittsburgh, PA.
UNREST is comprised of 12 songs that collectively push the sonic boundaries of the band outwards in numerous directions while still maintaining a strong foothold on our melodic punk-hardcore roots. The production on the record is a massive leap forward compared to previous releases and it is widely apparent that we took our time trying to get this release right after you give it a listen. UNREST clocks in at 24 minutes and 37 seconds listening time and is packed with everything you’d expect from a follow up to Discontent… hard hitting, no-nonsense, lean punk/hardcore songs that take you on a roller coaster ride of tempos, emotions, and lyrical themes. It’s political. It’s personal. It’s both introspective and a commentary on the surroundings we’re submerged into on a daily basis. Overall, it’s a collective document for how we view the world we’re living in, our designated place in it, and, despite how grim and dismal the outlook may be at this moment, UNREST is a declaration of how we can all work together to make this life better in the present moment and to leave a better world for those yet to come after we’re gone.
As with all of our previous releases, the packaging for the vinyl release of UNREST is unique and will definitely catch your eye if you have a liking for packaging design and an intricate layout. The LP Jacket is diecut so that the front of the record acts as an empty picture frame, allowing for the lyric insert (a 12×24″ double sided insert) to be placed into the jacket as one of four ‘portraits’ on the lyric sheet. Each portrait has a twist on the misrepresentation of the American dream and the things we’re taught from a young age to aspire to and value simply because society has dictated as such. For the pre-order version of the LP, the jacket will have a pop up cardboard easel attached so that the album can legitimately be stood up to display as if it was a picture frame.
For now you can check out the album cover art, track listing, and listen to the two songs we had already previously released: “Eyes of Love” and “The Syndicate” over on our bandcamp.
Stay tuned for the 3rd song to premiere next week along with more information about pre-orders and all that jazz. Many thanks to our friends at State of Mind Recordings, USELESS PRIDE RECORDS, Here And Now Records, and Ride+hun.music for helping us to release this record. We can’t wait for you all to hear the full thing but for now, check out this quick teaser video with a snippet of a brand new song in it.
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Question the rule, the only one who doesn’t question is the fool
The men behind the curtain will keep you just smart enough to use you, but just dumb enough to fool youAltered perception that the lives they’ve shattered aren’t lives that matter, your life to them is just a game it doesn’t matter, their wallets get fatter
Used as a pawn in foreign trade, protect the king but don’t get paid, they’ll use your body as a shield, until someone levels the playing field
Your life constantly at risk, they have only one wish, it’s to preserve their wealth at risk of human health
So continue to follow blindly but don’t be thrown when they speak unkindly of the America we came to be open your eyes then maybe you’ll see a place where war is used as a tool
Not what you think but what you change break the cycle rearrange the only thing left to say is how you choose to push ahead the future pressure building up while we’re all begging for change
I wait for a world where clarity is given at any age, you’re not forced to choose so young what the rest of your life will take, with room to grow and room to change where each new step isn’t met with adversity
eyes of love, eyes of love, view the world through the eyes of love
eyes of fear, eyes of fear, they want you to see through the eyes of fear
Not what you think but what you change break the cycle rearrange the only thing left to say is how you choose to push ahead the future pressure building up inside your head while we’re all still begging for change they don’t want you to view the world through the eyes of love
