{"product_id":"cruel-entertainment","title":"Cruel Entertainment","description":"\u003cp\u003eFor their tenth LP in a career spanning more than two decades, Tulsa’s Unwed Sailor deliver their heaviest riffs, loudest squalls, and most deeply textured arrangements yet. \u003cem\u003eCruel Entertainment\u003c\/em\u003e is a catalogue of contrasts – dissonance and harmony, hardcore crunch and post-rock grandeur, complexity and catchiness – that adds a vibrant new dimension to the second phase of their discography, spanning thus far from 2019’s landmark Heavy Age up to the “vivid, starry-eyed psychedelia” (AllMusic) of 2024’s Underwater Over There.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOpener and lead single, “Rock Candy”, roars in with a gale of feedback, pounding drums, and nimble bass, until a latticework of howling guitars ushers us into a more goth-tinged space. It’s a characteristically intricate, energetic composition that flows with remarkable ease between its parts, and wastes not a moment of its three minutes. “Monster Collecting” brings a rare combination of melancholic and driving energy, reminiscent of avowed heroes New Order, but ups the ante with a tight, fastpaced rhythm section and litany of guitar lines, until opening up into a cascade of reverberating textures and tenuous sweetness.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAccording to Ford, the title \u003cem\u003eCruel Entertainment\u003c\/em\u003e refers to “the hardships of being an artist and musician in the crowded, imbalanced world of social media and streaming,” where the completion of a new work demands that the creator also be a promoter, content strategist, and agent, among many other intensifying challenges. Pointedly drawing inspiration from noisier, rowdier bands – including Fugazi, Quicksand, and Cherubs – here they seek a much-needed catharsis in the ongoing fight to keep the creative soul intact.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSecond side standout, “Monty Donahue”, typifies this form of release, as massive, mid-tempo percussion leads a fluid low end theme – inspired by the dual bass assault of Dianogah – and Swatzell’s chords burst into shimmering nebulas across a labyrinthine arrangement that’s equally loud and beautiful. Title track, “Cruel Entertainment”, is a mosaic of sound for which Ford’s bass provides the mortar: taut drums list between the channels, washes of guitar stretch to the horizon, and metallic heaviness punctuates the drift. There is a confident immensity here, proving that, although Unwed Sailor have witnessed a wild amount of changes in the music industry, their knack for creating complex, vital, and masterfully produced work remains untouched.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Current Taste","offers":[{"title":"LP - Pink","offer_id":51418646380875,"sku":"R5859-9394","price":27.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"CD","offer_id":51418646413643,"sku":"R5859-4792","price":14.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/892e8566-1db5-f3e5-1025-76fd6aebeb17.jpg?v=1741617069","url":"https:\/\/shop.roughtrade.com\/de\/products\/cruel-entertainment","provider":"Rough Trade","version":"1.0","type":"link"}