Minneapolis-based Unstable Shapes have dropped their third single, Feral Joy, on November 1st, 2024, and it’s a great continuation of their series of new single that strike with their natural grit and a chaotic, raw exploration of identity.
Carving out their take on the noisy grit of 90s alternative, post-punk, and post-hardcore, Unstable Shapes blend the aggression of bands like Fugazi, Sonic Youth, and Lungfish with an unwavering drive for melody, giving each track a balance between unrestrained energy and gripping structure.
With Feral Joy, they don’t hold back on intensity. It follows two other singles, Glass Ladder and The Local Sphinx, both of which dropped earlier this year. These three tracks, produced by Knol Tate, offer a preview of Unstable Shapes’ full-length debut, Delicate Machinery, set for early 2025.
The new song digs into themes of confronting one’s own nature—a wild, unfiltered honesty. Glass Ladder is built around a bouncy bass line and abstractly personal lyrics, and The Local Sphinx dives into swirling, cryptic imagery about searching for meaning in a world of riddles.
The band sat down with us to share insights on each track and to recommend three off-the-radar artists from Minneapolis. Here’s their commentary, in the words of vocalist Andrew Cahak.
Glass Ladder
Mitch plays guitar in the band but he purchased a cheap bass and, while he was messing around with it, came up with that bouncy bass riff. He whipped up a quick demo in Garage Band with guitar and fake drums and sent it to us and we all were into it immediately. Our bassist, Kevin, is ridiculously talented but he was really gracious about playing Mitch’s original bass line.
The demo was only the first verse and maybe the chorus so the rest of the song we worked out as a band but it came together pretty quickly.
The lyric is both completely impersonal during the verses and choruses but very personal for the back half of the song. This is not some great secret but sometimes it’s easier to write about real experiences and feelings by doing so in the abstract and contrasting the two. I hope anyone who has lost someone close to them, whether it’s a partner or a parent or a dear friend, can relate to this song.
The Local Sphinx
I’m not sure if this is our best song but I’m pretty sure it’s my favorite. James is kind of the secret hero on this recording, he does a bunch of little nuanced fills and hits that aren’t blatantly obvious but when you really tune into his performance, there’s some really cool stuff going on. I also love what Kevin does, particularly during the bridge, that little bass riff adds so much color and character.
The song’s got a lot of weird imagery and that’s intentional, it’s about looking for meaning and finding that no one can give it to you.
The idea of a “local Sphinx,” a domesticated demigod who speaks in riddles and answers questions with other questions, came to me in the shower of all places and it was such a weird concept, I couldn’t let it go. The guitars really add to that sort of swirling ambiguity and sense of discomfort. It’s kind of bleak, I guess, but life can be like that.
Feral Joy
“Feral Joy,” as the title implies, is beast of a song. James lays down a shuffling beat with punctuating snare hits throughout, Kevin’s doing this rumbly bass riff that keeps the whole thing trucking along at a breakneck pace and I really love the way Mitch and Ryan’s guitars wind around each other.
To me, the whole thing sounds, for lack of a better word, dangerous. It’s probably the heaviest/hardest song we have (for now) but I think it’s still approachable.
The song is about coming to terms with your true nature; in some ways the narrator inhabits a version of me that exists somewhere, in other ways it’s pure fabrication; it’s a thing I hope I’m not but afraid I could be. There’s a freedom that comes with being honest with yourself about the complicated parts of who you are. I’m still wrestling with all of that stuff to some degree and I think we all probably encounter these dilemmas in life, or at least maybe we should.
Underrated / up-and-coming artists from Minneapolis
TV For Dogs
Young dudes bringing the heat. We played with these guys a few months ago and they had a killer set. I think they’re really fresh and they’ve got the kind of energy that gives me hope. They write really great, catchy, noisy, songs that I can’t get enough of. They’ve got a couple of singles out and they’re so good that I’m annoyed there aren’t more. I’m hoping to see big things both for and from them.
Tender Comrade
Tender Comrade have been playing shows for about a year but all three members have played together in various other bands over the years. They make music for adults, if that makes sense, but it’s not overly serious. Short, to-the-point post-punk songs about weird stuff, executed by top-notch musicians. I told lead singer/guitarist/producer Knol Tate (who also made our record) that they sound like the suburbs of London in late July 1979. I’m not entirely sure what I meant by that but I stand by it. I’m also really impressed with their work ethic. They just keep cranking out a new EP every few months like it’s no big deal.
Too Late But Still
I know almost nothing about this band, I’ve never seen them live or met any of them and I think they’ve only played maybe 2 or 3 shows, but they have an EP on Bandcamp that I listened to on the recommendation of our bassist Kevin and I keep finding myself revisiting it. It reminds me of my favorite parts of bands like …And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead, At the Drive-In, and Hot Water Music: hard hitting drums, memorable riffs, smart lyrics and passionate vocals. I really hope we get to play with them soon so I can thank them for dropping such a great recording.
