Toward is the second album that Post-Hardcore trio The Unit Ama have put out in the bands 20 years together, so they are not prolific, but they have spent their time distilling the band's sound, to achieve maximum intensity and focus. The trio are Steve Malley, Christian Alderson and Jason Etherington who you may also know from the other bands they are in like The Horse Loom or Archipelago.
Toward opens with the dense, intense Sycamore enclosing around you with the tale of what leads you towards that Sycamore tree, wrapped in drums that don't give up, as the bassline imprints on your brain with the intense urge to force you into their realm, as scowling guitars scuffle at the edges, as they claim that all will be revealed, well if you listen to the whole album it may well be.
Stirrup takes them out into the fields, as they ride that horse off into the distance, encased in screeds of guitars, imperious bassline and shatter the peace drums, as the walls close in, all they want is to put a foot in that Stirrup once more, before it all breaks apart, you'd better pass the Stirrup cup round again.
Observe Yourself should probably be listened too in a mirror lined room, as this slow dark tale gets going, you reflect on all the things that happened, the violence and despair as soaring guitars sear the pain in your brain, wondering why your library card is clutched in your hand, you may be doomed.
Body Keeps The Score opens as a slow bass led rumination, with neo-classical guitar parts, as this dark tale unfolds like a particularly dark Her Name Is Calla song I wonder if you would want to be the one he's waiting for.
Collector opens like a slow building folk song, taking us deep into the countryside so he can Collect you, although what he'll do with you is unclear, wait until after the heavy guitars come in forcing you to find out all the dark reasons he wants you in his collection, this has dark hints at all sorts of nasty tortures with the cymbal crashes like the whip being applied, it doesn't sound like you would want to be collected by him.
The bass and handclap intro to Mary seems to be ready to scare the life out of you, when it really shouldn't, as he implores her to wait for him, so the trust can be rebuilt, this has all the dark twists of a traditional Northumbrian folk song, only being transposed into a post-hardcore angst folk setting, as she awakens the beast within you so you can realize just how much this is over, as Mary returns to dust once more, this is dark deep and disturbing.
The Folding Man what does he fold, is it your clothes or his, or is it a treatise on how life as a twin feels, over low rumbling bass, distressed careful drums, with all sorts of deep questioning in the lyrics, as the guitars emerge trying to answer what’s been folded and was there enough fold back in the monitors. Will this make you feel the distance between you or draw you close together once more.
The album closes as they turn one more New Page with slow careful percussion at its heart, the New Page heralding a new dawn, have they found absolution or are they still striving to put there demons behind them.
Find out more at https://www.facebook.com/TheUnitAma https://theunitama.com/ https://gringorecords.limitedrun.com/products/723565-the-unit-ama-toward?fbclid=IwAR30XXF2QifMpesuWXpAXAz5rDbvTSrZu6CK79W77rCcF7nNdG5cT624miQ https://theunitama.bandcamp.com/album/toward
