A dynamic rock production pairs with a thematic, philosophical grip on You Were Born to Save Your Life, the new full-length from Lord Sonny The Unifier. The Brooklyn-based project, led by Greg Jiritano, impressed the past few months with a series of album tracks — like “Keep the Fierce” and “I Think We’ve Been Had” — that caught our ears with a hooky, captivating rock sound. The rest of the album continues to showcase a penchant for high-quality, replay-inducing songwriting, as was also the case with 2023 album America’s Newest Hitmaker.
You Were Born to Save Your Life plays with a successful conceptual aim, capturing the perspective of a time traveler reflecting on the chaotic psychology and societal contradictions of 2024, blending observation with action in a post-pandemic world. Drawing inspiration from the likes of Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy and Brave New World, the character of Lord Sonny chronicles the madness, beauty, and contradictions of contemporary life –being equal parts observer, philosopher, and reluctant outlaw. Musically, the album successfully pushes beyond the band’s post-punk and Americana roots into territories of psych-rock, psychobilly, and goth.
A multitude of highlights impress, in addition to the aforementioned album singles. Opening track “I’m Out” weaves spacey synth buzzing and anthemic guitar pulses amidst an escalating vocal intrigue. “I shut it down, now!” a debonair vocal electrifies, maneuvering into radiant organs with touches of electro-laden rockabilly. The ensuing “Wanna Bet Your Life” ventures into another world entirely, propelled by theatrical strings and space-opera synth inclinations. A sweltering vocal passion develops into a hazy psych-ready allure — “gonna make love in the afternoon…” — and into a delightfully hooky bridge, with string-bolstered majesty rounding the two-minute turn and into a delectably soaring guitar solo.
Spanning from the fervent synth-rock nostalgia of “The Destination” to the multi-vocal, Bowie-esque psych-pop theatrics within “Until You Go,” You Were Born to Save Your Life represents another thorough success from Lord Sonny The Unifier — immersing with enveloping songwriting and intriguing, poignant thematic pursuits.
—
This and other tracks featured this month can be streamed on the updating Obscure Sound’s ‘Emerging Singles’ Spotify playlist.
