Over the past year, North Carolina's heralded progressive alternative band … Read Full Bio ↴Over the past year, North Carolina's heralded progressive alternative band Unifier has been gutted in many ways.

“Our new EP is about reinvention, both as individuals and a band, and we wanted the title Gutted to reflect that -- but with the bleak connotation in which we experienced it," says singer/guitarist Aslan Freeman. In the tradition of great modern alternative noisemakers like Brand New, Jimmy Eat World, and Foo Fighters, Unifier has spent the last several years releasing and performing a steady stream of gorgeously driving pop rock records (Colorado, Oh Great City EP, B_sides: Volumes 01-03). While momentum has reached an all-time high, the band has continually pushed to refine their sound and rediscover what drives them as artists, both individually and as a collective whole.

“Essentially, we’ve been in the process of rebranding our band, and Gutted is a big part of that,” says Luke Rayson. “We’re gradually moving in a heavier, darker, and more openly creative direction.”

What the band’s debut album Colorado achieved in terms of “big” and “pretty” aesthetics, Gutted matches with newfound elements of rawness and aggression. Conceptually, the EP wanders into both familiar and darker domains, examining recurring feelings of loss, helplessness, doubt, and judgment through a variety of narrative lenses.

“We wanted the tone of this EP to be a bit of a departure from what we’ve tried to accomplish with our previous releases, without sounding lo-fi or unpleasantly jarring at any point,” says Aslan. “We wanted the overall production to still be polished, but with the individual elements remaining more ‘alive in the room.’”

While drenched in darker, more experimental tones and moody thematic content, “alive” may actually be the most accurate adjective to describe Gutted. After repeat listens, the new “voice” of the band grows stronger and more familiar -- a recalibrated and more powerful version of a model that was already working.

“Gutted is a bit of a segue between where we’ve been and where we are heading as a band,” says drummer Mike Kane. “We’re treating it as a sort of a sounding board for peoples' reactions.”

As with any evolution, each stage of output represents a step down a longer path. With Gutted, Unifier is discovering their true north; a creative foundation which countless iterations can be built upon. Gutted marks the beginning of a new era for Unifier -- a period of growth through refinement; of progress through focus.

Expect the new EP at digital retailers everywhere on March 24th and visit spartanrecords.com for more information about Unifier and the Gutted EP.

Shadows
Unifier Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

The discipline
Would pull me under
Just to capture my active mind

Trust your hold and lift
The passion to your lips
The cup, the cold
The silences

Until they're torn
And over worn
Then you cut
Cut, cut it

The discipline
Will pull you under
An attraction you can't deny

Faceless
How am I supposed to face this?
Your shadow
Covers me like a cast

Repetition
I can hardly call you an actress
Your freedom
Built inside the web you spun
Even you forget what you're faking

Faceless
How am I supposed to face this?
Your shadow
Covers me like a cast
I don't want to seem graceless
I just want it so bad I can taste it

Would you shed your light, your skin
To keep your station?

Overall Meaning

The song "Shadows" by Unifier talks about the struggle between self-discipline and passion. The lyrics suggest that the discipline can be all-encompassing and stifling, threatening to pull the singer down. However, lifting the passion to your lips is important. The idea is that when passion and discipline work harmoniously, they can create something beautiful. The singer seems to be struggling with the balance between these two forces.

The song also talks about the lies we tell ourselves to maintain the illusion of control. The lyrics "Repetition, I can hardly call you an actress. Your freedom built inside the web you spun. Even you forget what you're faking" suggest that we often repeat certain actions or thoughts to control the outcome of the situation, even though we know it is not genuine. The idea is that we create our own prisons and often forget that we're trapped. The idea of facing one's shadow and shedding one's light and skin is a reference to the vulnerability it takes to confront deeper personal issues and fears.

Overall, "Shadows" is a song that encourages self-reflection and the pursuit of a balance between control, passion, and honesty.

Line by Line Meaning

The discipline
The strictness and self-control

Would pull me under
Would bring me down and constrict me

Just to capture my active mind
Just to subdue my restless and curious thoughts

Trust your hold and lift
Believe in your power and ascend

The passion to your lips
The intense desire you pursue

The cup, the cold
The offering and the hardship

The silences
The quiet and unseen moments

Until they're torn
Until they're disrupted and destroyed

And over worn
And overused to the point of exhaustion

Then you cut
Then you sever and end it