UNWELL

UNWELL’s music speaks equally to the barricade and the back row, balancing crushing emotion and buoyant theatricality – all rooted in a workmanlike DIY ethos befitting of their Rust Belt hometown. On ALLEGORIA, their Pure Noise Records debut, the Detroit-formed quartet meld muscular alt-rock, pop-punk vibrancy and propulsive hardcore into a multisensory escapist experience, dramatic storytelling that never loses sight of the rawest, realest emotions at its core.

The group (vocalist Matt Copley, guitarist Chris Mandel, bassist Drew Bender and drummer Connor McLaughlin) formed in 2020 after Copley, a musical theater student, approached Bender to help record a musical for his senior year thesis. The two, alongside Mandel, a mutual friend, quickly expanded their creative efforts to begin building UNWELL – with their 2021 debut EP, New Moons, bursting them onto the scene with a more melodic take on the mid-’10s pop-punk genre’s sonic sandpaper. 2023’s Trial & Error further marked a turning point for the band, showcasing an evolution that blended their hook-laden instincts with an even heavier, more aggressive edge, as songs like “Epiphany” debuted at #3 on the iTunes Rock Charts.

“The band has grown to a point where we feel totally comfortable in our own skin,” Copley says of their growth leading up to Allegoria. “Our influences span from Broadway to hardcore, so figuring out how to bring all of these into our sound has offered us a lot of opportunity in terms of the songs we’re able to write.”

The group’s diversity is evident from the orchestral opening notes of Allegoria’s leadoff, “Miracle,” eventually giving way to slamming guitar stacks, rattling basslines and a haunting refrain. It’s a dichotomy that brings the 10-song set, produced by Zach Jones (Set It Off, Veil of Maya) and KJ Strock (Ice Nine Kills, mgk), to life, melding quiet introspection with larger-than-life moments. One minute, Copley is leading a chorus skyward with his airy timbre, the next he and the band are hitting the kill-switch on that same zero-g melodicism and swerving toward an earth-shaking breakdown. It’s the sort of duality that helps UNWELL weave their way past well-worn genre tropes into a sound that’s all their own, one that’s brought the band rave reviews on live stages alongside the likes of The Used, The Amity Affliction and Bearings.

Allegoria’s setting, the mystic realm of the same name, is depicted in striking visuals throughout the album’s artwork with medieval futurism: Gothic castles, cascading waterfalls and opulent thrones under the vast expanse of the universe. This fantastical backdrop serves as the sandbox for the real-life emotion the band unfurls on songs like the frantic electronica-laden “Trip the Wire,” groove-heavy “Plague” (home to McLaughlin’s best drumming), ascendant “Throne Of Velvet Roses,” sinister, downtuned “Magna Carta” and uptempo “Craven,” which leans back into their pop-punk roots with a newly reframed maturity and confidence.

“It’s definitely not a concept album, but at the same time, there are very clear themes running throughout all the songs that lend themselves to the title,” Copley explains. “Each song represents a different allegory or lesson we’ve learned, and we wanted to build a world that would serve as the backdrop for them all.”

All this world-building, both musical and visual, swirls to a synesthetic, cinematic story told in real time: not an escape from reality but rather a refracted version of it, where everyday pain and triumph are elevated to mythic proportions and grand ambitions reverberate against a starry sky. It’s a land of make-believe that’s helped UNWELL tell their truest stories as artists, carving out space for even deeper exploration ahead and leaving the gates open for whatever comes next.

“This album has been a long time coming, and we really hope we are able to get back in the studio sooner than later,” Copley says. “At the same time, we’re so proud of what we’ve created, so we’re just looking to keep the ball rolling however we can.” ##

SHORT VERSION:

UNWELL’s music speaks equally to the barricade and the back row, balancing crushing emotion and buoyant theatricality – all rooted in a DIY ethos befitting of their Rust Belt hometown. On their Pure Noise debut, ALLEGORIA, the Detroit quartet meld muscular alt-rock, pop-punk vibrancy and propulsive hardcore into a multisensory escapist experience, dramatic storytelling that never loses sight of the rawest emotions. It’s a dichotomy that brings the album to life, melding quiet introspection with larger-than-life moments. It’s the sort of duality that helps UNWELL weave their way past well-worn genre tropes into a sound that’s all their own, one that’s brought the band rave reviews on live stages alongside the likes of The Used, The Amity Affliction and Bearings.

Allegoria’s setting, the mystic realm of the same name, is depicted in striking visuals throughout the album’s artwork with medieval futurism: Gothic castles, cascading waterfalls and opulent thrones under the vast expanse of the universe. All this world-building, both musical and visual, swirls to a synesthesic, cinematic story told in real time: not an escape from reality but rather a refracted version of it, where everyday pain and triumph are elevated to mythic proportions and grand ambitions reverberate amongst a starry sky. It’s a land of make-believe that’s helped UNWELL tell their truest stories as artists, carving out a space for even deeper exploration ahead and leaving the gates open for whatever comes next.

Tour Dates

Publicity:
US & UK: Hayley Connelly
Europe: Denise Pedicillo
AUS: Janine Morcos

Booking: Jason Parent & Matt Andersen

Management: Josh Korel & Jeremiah Scarim

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