We Were Promised Jetpacks – Unravelling

The effervescence of youth can work wonders on a debut album but how often does such vim dissipate on subsequent works? Edinburgh’s We Were Promised Jetpacks are, perhaps, this formula in reverse. Their keenness to barrel out an uptempo number on 2009’s These Four Walls was exuberant but at times unfocused, whilst 2011 follow-up In the Pit of the Stomach cut a similar path but showed much more promise.

With Unravelling, WWPJ have delivered on that promise with a tact that trades in their over-zealousness for a more restrained but, crucially, more satisfying sound. Better production certainly helps, improved musicianship and song writing are no bad back-ups either, but a keener sense on when to hold back means the subsequent sonic peaks on Unravelling are all the more satisfying. From the fist-clenching howl of Keep It Composed to the brooding burr of an Aidan Moffat-led Moral Compass, Unravelling is pure sinew where once there was fat.