Mark Trueack (composer / lead vocals / producer), Sean Timms (composer / keyboards / backing vocals / producer) and Matt Williams (guitars / backing vocals / producer) form the nucleus of the band. To complete them, they chose the combined drum/percussion batteries of David Hopgood and Tim Irrgang, Craig Kelly on bass and Daniel Burgess (Sax, clarinet, flute, piccolo, didgeridoo).
They released their first album “More Than a Dream” in 2007 on the Canadian Label Unicorn Digital.
In February of 2008, Unitopia signed a worldwide publishing deal with Shock Music Publishing which became Perfect Pitch Publishing in 2010 when publisher Clive Hudson took over the company struggling financially.
In August 2008, Unitopia signed a three album deal with InsideOut Music, Germany, the leading progressive rock record company in the world. Unitopia is the only Australian band to have signed with this label to this day.
In November 18th, 2008, InsideOut Music released Unitopia’s 2nd CD, “The Garden”. The 15 track double CD firmly established Unitopia as one of the premiere progressive rock acts in the world.
In May 4th, 2010, Unitopia released their third album, “Artificial” worldwide through InsideOut Music. Based on the themes of artificial intelligence, this new CD consolidates Unitopia's position as one of the most exciting progressive rock acts to emerge since the 1970’s.
The band just came back from a very successful European tour in October 2010. The tour brought them to the United Kingdom, The Netherlands, Germany and Belgium. The critics were unanimous, “Unitopia has been one of the best live acts on the Progressive Rock scene in the last few years.” They have been invited by TV Limburg to do a television performance in The Netherlands during the tour. They will also be filming one of their performances in Holland to be released in September of 2011 as a DVD.
The band is also currently working on a cover album. Seventeen songs from different bands will be revisited with Unitopia's unique touch and should be ready to be released in november of 2011. A second edition of their first album, “More Than a Dream” should be released also early 2012 with new artwork, remastered songs, and extra material.
Recently, Rayna and Mark Monforti from the Music in Widescreen website and progrock.com radio have chosen “Artificial” as Best Album and “The Great Reward” as Best Track for their 2010 awards. "Artificial" was proclaimed Album of the Year 2010 by The International Independent Radio (AiiRadio.net), Best Album of 2010 by paperlate.nl, an internet magazine from the Netherlands and nominated by the international Jury of Progawards in Italy for Best Foreign Record and Best Production.
As a band known for supporting worthy causes, Unitopia has allowed the use of their song "Still Here" for the "Songs for Haiti" double CD and "There's a Place" for the compilation "Stomp out Cancer". They also donated part proceeds from ticket sales of their recent concert in Adelaide to the Childhood Cancer Foundation. The band is also making a difference with the project Bee Aware Now by doing a promotional song and video for the cause and will be the spokes band for the Bee Aware Now Organization in a worldwide tour in 2012 (for more information, please visit http://www.beeawarenow.org/).
One of Unitopia’s songs, “321”, is a touching tribute to the courage, ordeal and eventual rescue of the Beaconsfield miners. The track gained nationwide exposure including a segment on 60 minutes. In May of 2007, with support and funding from the West Tamar Council, the band launched the single “321” at the one year anniversary memorial in Beaconsfield, Tasmania to an audience of nearly 3,000 people.
As lead singer Mark Trueack says, “Music is the doctor!”
Unitopia recently announced they were no longer moving forward as a band, and are pursuing solo projects.
Ride
Unitopia Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And there are so many questions that it's driving me insane.
And every now and then we find a solution.
But only when all other ways have reached the very end.
Why do we ride ourselves to the ground?
Why do we ride ourselves to the ground?
We feed our desires by finding the answers, this is the message I send.
An if there's hope we can understand.
And accept one another's point of view.
We dream and we strive to get there one day.
We only get one chance on this one world, one life beginning.
You're riding your friend, your heart is turning,
You're changing your ways.
You're riding your love, you're feeling complete,
These are better days.
Let's ride. Let's ride.
You're riding your feelings, you're riding your love,
You're riding the chain of life.
You're riding your dreams, you're riding your feelings,
You're sitting on the edge of a knife.
The lyrics of Unitopia's "Ride" capture the emotional rollercoaster of love and hate that is accompanied by a plethora of unanswered questions. The singer expresses the struggle of balancing intense emotions, experiencing both pain and joy in the process. The sense of urgency in the song mirrors the frustration of the singer as they ask why we ride ourselves to the ground, questioning the motivations behind our actions. Despite the struggles, the lyrics offer hope that understanding and acceptance of each other's perspectives can bring a solution to the turmoil.
The verses build off of each other, starting with the singer's internal struggle and then broadening to consider the actions of others. The lyrics "We feed our desires by finding the answers, this is the message I send" suggest that this ride of love and hate is an inherent part of human nature, and we seek to understand it to fulfill some fundamental want or need. The bridge, particularly, offers an aspirational message, encouraging listeners to embrace their emotions and dreams while striving for a common goal.
Overall, "Ride" presents an insightful commentary on the powerful emotions that come with love and hate, urging listeners to channel these emotions into positive action and understanding.
Line by Line Meaning
It's a see-saw ride of love and hate, sometimes I feel the pain.
Love and hate are intertwined, causing emotional pain that is sometimes hard to bear.
And there are so many questions that it's driving me insane.
The multitude of unanswered questions is causing mental distress.
And every now and then we find a solution.
Occasionally, we are able to find a resolution to our problems.
But only when all other ways have reached the very end.
Solutions are only found when all other options have been exhausted.
Why do we ride ourselves to the ground?
Why do we continually push ourselves to exhaustion?
It seems that we push our emotions without cause. When will it end?
We often push our emotions to the brink for no apparent reason, leaving us wondering when this cycle will cease.
We feed our desires by finding the answers, this is the message I send.
We satisfy our needs by seeking solutions to our problems, as this is the intended message.
And if there's hope we can understand.
Hope lies in comprehending each other's perspectives.
And accept one another's point of view.
Our path to peace lies in accepting each other's viewpoints.
We dream and we strive to get there one day.
We aspire to someday achieve our goals and aspirations.
We only get one chance on this one world, one life beginning.
We have only one opportunity in this world, so we must make the most of it.
You're riding your friend, your heart is turning, You're changing your ways.
You are investing in a friendship that causes a change of heart and inspires personal growth.
You're riding your love, you're feeling complete, These are better days.
You are experiencing the joy of love, resulting in a sense of wholeness and happiness.
You're riding your feelings, you're riding your love, You're riding the chain of life.
You are riding the ups and downs of emotions and love, which are an integral part of the cycle of life.
You're riding your dreams, you're riding your feelings, You're sitting on the edge of a knife.
You are pursuing your dreams and confronting your emotions, which can be challenging and require risk-taking.
Contributed by Max T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.