French 5-piece Unschooling have today dropped their latest single, ‘Brand New Storm” in anticipation of their impending debut album, ‘New World Artifacts’ slated for an October 6th 2023 release through Bad Vibrations Records.
Comprising Vincent Fevrier (guitar/vocals), Damien Tebbal (Bass), Paul Morvant (Guitar), Marc Lebreuilly (Guitar/Synth) and Thomas Fromager (Drums), Unschooling burst onto the scene in 2019 with their self-released ‘Defensive Designs’ cassette which brought the band plenty of buzz on the French indie scene. Their follow-up, 2021’s ‘Random Acts of Total Control’ EP, further cemented their reputation and established them as one of the most exciting up-and-comers in the new school of post-punk revivalists.
Commenting on their latest single, lead vocalist Vincent Fevrier said, “Brand New Storm is a quintessential ‘stop and smell the flowers’ kind of track taken from New World Artifacts. The ordinary pop structure denotes a soft deluge of guitars, saxophone and organ overdubs but the whole thing is no less melodic. It’s a real return to the roots of my twee pop influences. The track has a nostalgic vibe which is accentuated by a rather lofi recording which is a very deliberate act. Brand New Storm is an invitation to let go despite the ups and downs of a romantic relationship, the fear of commitment. A call to step into the unknown.”
In terms of the impending LP (which you can pre-order here), ‘New World Artifacts’ is pitched as “a collection of lo-fi post-punk clocking in at 30 minutes, underscored with subtle pop melodies and structures but never far away from bouts of anarchic no-wave dissonance.” With their debut album, the band have strived to return to a sound which is less calibrated, less obvious, explaining how, “New World Artifacts is an ode to the unexpected, a tribute to many art rock bands who are always where you least expect them. It is both noisy and sensitive. Hot and cold at once”. Most of the material was recorded live in only a few sessions at a farmer friend’s DIY studio in the Normandy countryside in late Summer 2022.
The band are also gearing up for a UK headline tour this October/November at the venues listed below, and tickets are now on sale here.
UNSCHOOLING TOUR-DATES
31/10/23 SOUTHAMPTON UK – HEARTBREAKERS
01/11/23 LONDON UK – THE LEXINGTON
03/11/23 MANCHESTER UK – YES
04/11/23 GLASGOW UK – THE GREAT WESTERN / HUG & PINT
05/11/23 LEEDS UK – BRUDENELL SOCIAL CLUB
06/11/23 BRISTOL UK – ROUGH TRADE
07/11/23 OXFORD UK – JERICHO TAVERN
08/11/23 BRIGHTON UK – GREEN DOOR STORE
14/12/23 PARIS FR – LA MAROQUINERIE
(Featured image photographer credit: Marc Delavaud)
