As one of the bands spearheading the new age of emerging pop-punk acts, Min… Read Full Bio ↴As one of the bands spearheading the new age of emerging pop-punk acts, Minneapolis-based outfit Unturned is a band to keep your eye on. Reminiscent of the emo pop-punk we all grew up listening to, Unturned has managed to take old elements from the genre and combine them with their own interpretation, creating a fresh and new sound that features hints of grunge mixed with gritty pop-punk vocals and unfiltered emo lyrics.

Forming after Parker (vocals) and Sam (drums) decided to take the acoustic demos they recorded in Parker’s basement and do something more, Unturned has emerged from a music scene many are unaware of. Although it may be tucked away in the Midwestern United States, the city of Minneapolis has a underground music scene that has been home for a number of bands over the years including Molly’s Worst Enemy, Infinite Me and Household, all bands Unturned credit for influencing their sound.

“The Minneapolis and Midwest music scenes have influenced us in huge ways. We love the community and are very lucky to have such a strong music scene with the truly talented bands we have. There were a lot of bands that we saw when we first started going to shows who really influenced us and still do.”

While Unturned plays regularly in Minneapolis and in the Midwest, they have managed to transform themselves from being a Midwest basement band to sharing stages with the likes of Hippo Campus, Tiny Moving Parts and Seaway.

Most recently, their latest EP "Sunk" that was released last month on No Sleep Records has created a buzz throughout the scene, Unturned further integrating their unique and gritty sound into the world of pop-punk. Featuring five hard-hitting tracks that discuss real-life problems we all face each day, the songs on the EP represent a group of musicians maturing into their sound, none of them being afraid of throwing out their unfiltered thoughts for the world to hear. However, while the process behind "Sunk" was rewarding and helped Unturned evolve as a band, the months leading up to them entering the studio were anything but simple.

“The writing process was long. We had just added two members and released an EP to promote that and it took us a long time to figure out what kind of sound we were going for and creating songs we were happy with.”

Juggling the member change and the gruelling schedule that comes with touring, Unturned managed to confidently cultivate the direction they wanted to take their sound in for this third EP, the release ultimately pushing them in the studio while also allowing them to reflect on how the past few years have been.

“"Sunk" is the culmination of two years worth of writing and touring. Through those two years came a lot of doubt and anxiety, but these five songs have kept us together and kept us pushing forward.”

The band travelled to Hopatcong, New Jersey this time last year and began working with producer Gary Cioni (Grayscale, Sorority Noise, Free Throw) at Barber Shop Studios. While Sunk is a reflection of a two-year period for the band, the recording process for the EP took about a week, Unturned pushing themselves creatively in the studio especially when it came to songwriting.

“We changed the way we worked as a band and how we wrote songs. Writing songs became something that made us all very anxious for a long time. Once we had written two of the songs, we had found a comfortable way to work with each other, crafting songs the way we wanted.”

As one of the five tracks that made it onto "Sunk", “Comedown” was a particular song Unturned struggled with in the studio. Wanting a track that would end the EP on a high, Unturned used their new found way of writing to create one of the strongest songs on the whole release.

“We tried to make it unique and wanted it to have that heavy end. We really wanted it to hit hard as we kind of knew we wanted it to be the end of the EP. The process was mostly in the studio as we tried to make it sound massive and gross at the end.”

- Rachel Dowd via Highlight Magazine

Vertigo
Unturned Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Write it up in a thousand lines
Why does all this still feel the same?
Maybe I′m to blame

And I've got broken teeth
From chewing through your bones
You′re fine with losing hope

Is this what I wanted?
A fractured version of me
Dwelling in the dreams of the person I know I'll never be?

Spinning in front of me
Giving me vertigo
My eyes are red from the substances that made me feel at home

I should pack up and leave
But there's nowhere to go
So I′ll just watch all my friends sail off to the greater unknown

(I′m not getting anywhere)

Swallow me without a chaser
Spit me out onto the pavement and
Watch me become one with the concrete on your street

Spinning in front of me
Giving me vertigo
My eyes are red from the substances that made me feel at home

I should pack up and leave
But there's nowhere to go
So I′ll just watch all my friends sail off to the greater unknown

(And I hate watching you go)

And I hate watching you cross the state line
It fucks with my mind
I know I seem upset all the time
Shifting my shape to change pace, 'cause I hate watching you go

Spinning in front of me
Giving me vertigo
You′re the one thing in my life that makes me feel whole

Spinning in front of me
Giving me vertigo
My eyes are red from the substances that made me feel at home

I should pack up and leave

But there's nowhere to go
So I′ll just watch all my friends sail off to the greater unknown

Overall Meaning

In Unturned's song Vertigo, the singer expresses feelings of helplessness, frustration, and uncertainty. The first stanza, "Why does all this still feel the same? Maybe I'm to blame," suggests that the singer is stuck in a cycle of negative thoughts and behaviors, and wonders if they are responsible for their current situation. The following lines, "And I've got broken teeth from chewing through your bones, You're fine with losing hope," reveals the singer's anger at someone who has let them down, and who has given up on their own dreams.

The imagery in the next stanza is vivid and unsettling. The singer describes feeling "vertigo" - the sensation of dizziness or disorientation - while being trapped in a situation from which there seems to be no escape. The references to "the substances that made me feel at home" and "watch[ing] all my friends sail off to the greater unknown" suggest that the singer may be struggling with addiction, and that their friends are moving on with their lives while they remain stuck in place.

The final stanza contains some of the most poignant lines in the song, with the singer admitting their vulnerability: "You're the one thing in my life that makes me feel whole." The last line, "So I'll just watch all my friends sail off to the greater unknown," is both resigned and mournful, suggesting that the singer has given up on the possibility of a better future for themselves.

Line by Line Meaning

Write it up in a thousand lines
The singer is struggling to articulate their feelings.

Why does all this still feel the same?
Despite the passage of time, the singer feels stuck in their current emotional state.

Maybe I'm to blame
The singer is willing to take responsibility for their own emotional turmoil.

And I've got broken teeth / From chewing through your bones / You're fine with losing hope
The artist feels like they've been damaged by a relationship with someone who has given up.

Is this what I wanted? / A fractured version of me / Dwelling in the dreams of the person I know I'll never be?
The artist is questioning their own desires and feeling trapped by their own self-image.

Spinning in front of me / Giving me vertigo / My eyes are red from the substances that made me feel at home
The singer is experiencing a sense of disorientation and feeling comforted by substances.

I should pack up and leave / But there's nowhere to go / So I'll just watch all my friends sail off to the greater unknown
The singer feels stuck and unable to move forward, as those around them continue to move on.

(I'm not getting anywhere)
The artist feels stuck and unable to make progress.

Swallow me without a chaser / Spit me out onto the pavement and / Watch me become one with the concrete on your street
The artist feels hopeless and desperate for release from their current situation.

And I hate watching you cross the state line / It fucks with my mind / I know I seem upset all the time / Shifting my shape to change pace, 'cause I hate watching you go
The artist is struggling to cope with the departure of someone important and feels like they're constantly changing to try to keep up.

Spinning in front of me / Giving me vertigo / You're the one thing in my life that makes me feel whole
Despite the sense of disorientation, the singer feels like the person they're speaking to is a source of comfort and grounding.

Spinning in front of me / Giving me vertigo / My eyes are red from the substances that made me feel at home
The artist is still feeling disoriented and struggling with the difficulties of their situation.

I should pack up and leave / But there's nowhere to go / So I'll just watch all my friends sail off to the greater unknown
Despite the desire to leave, the singer feels trapped and powerless to change their situation.

Writer(s): Issac Luedtke, James Goranson, Parker Toyne, Samuel Kuchera, Will Leach

Contributed by Madison F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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