A riveting EP out today from Austin-based band The Unlimited Stars, Impossible fuses goth-rock and textured post-punk intrigue with swelteringly memorable vocal work, coming via vocalist/guitarist Bre MacKenzie. Fondly reminiscent at points of Siouxsie and the Banshees, Mazzy Star, and PJ Harvey in its combination of dreamier spaciousness and ardent rock heights, the EP’s sound enamors across all three tracks — all of which have their own music video.
The EP’s title track enthralls in its tonal development from spacious intrigue into rousingly emotive dark-rock haunts. Its production moves with a hazy yet playful pulse to start. The percussive pit-patter and clanking undercurrents then build into a beautiful, jangly guitar captivation — exuding an immersive mystique. “Got a will to power that’ll shatter your soul,” MacKenzie’s ghostly vocals traverse with patient unfolding, swelling into a quivering ferocity thereafter as buzzing distortion descends with textured passion. The drums solo, emerging around the four-minute turn, invigorates with its rhythmic precision as well. Lingering guitars exude a chilly, elongated feeling as the verses then come back into view.
“Impossible” is a gripping entry point that succeeds across both moody initial introspection and ardent rock heights, the latter especially apparent in a delectably sludgier arrival into the final minute, where MacKenzie’s vocals return with further vigor. Shades of both late-night rock mystery and western-y, cinematic twangs show in the track’s mesmerizing production. The ensuing “First Time” unveils with an atmospheric post-punk nostalgia, expanding from brooding bass and warming guitar tones — fondly reminiscent of The Chameleons UK’s knack for darkly impactful momentum as the “walk with me into the night” vocal enticing emerges. The bass playing is especially hypnotic and memorable throughout. “In the forest of your mind,” MacKenzie’s vocals commence a fantastic ascent, culminating in a fervent title-touting passion as menacing guitars accompany the sense of ominousness. The “cut it open” lyrical urgings beckon a yearning for catharsis, visceral and moving within the goth-rock foreboding.
Another enveloping track arises with “Exu,” where a consuming vocal performance, sung in Portuguese, complements another dynamic tonal production. Haunting vocals and soaring guitars intertwine with gorgeous prowess, particularly around the eclectic mid-point. Maddy Brotherton’s violin work also dazzles throughout, injecting palpable emotion further into the production. Expressive, heightened singing shifts into a more directly spoken feeling, then punctuated by shoegaze-y guitar expressions. The track represents another standout on an EP that consistently compels in its atmospheric, moody vocal ascents and seamless mix of dreamy and ardently distorted guitars. Impossible is a thorough success from The Unlimited Stars.
