Untitled Art – “Love Will Tear Us Apart (Part 1)”/”The Change (Part 1)”
Untitled Art – “Love Will Tear Us Apart (Part 1)”/”The Change (Part 1)” – Singles Review
Electro-wizard David Sempier is back with two badass cuts from his upcoming Untitled Art record called 13 Part 1 – a brand-new original and a cover tune for ya. Hasn’t been too long since we last experienced ourselves some Untitled Art…back in…hmm…May, I believe, with the release of the single for “A Fighter’s Heart (Part 2).” Alright, alright…I look these dates up just FYI…my memory sucks for specific dates, but it definitely remembers artists, bands, and music that makes an impact – and you can absolutely include Untitled Art when it comes to all that. I remember the amount of detail and time that David puts into his music…and I’d suspect it’s always fair to assume he’s up to something over there, creative-type that he is. Always good to have a real artist back in the mix…great to have Untitled Art back on our pages (and next Podcast episode!) – let’s find out what David’s got goin’ on with his latest.
We’ll start with the cover-tune…”Love Will Tear Us Apart” from Joy Division – which is…hmm…almost dangerous to cover at this point without fear of being lost in a whole sea of them, wouldn’t you say? You would if you’re familiar with how many versions are out there. David’s a smart man and you’ve got every reason to have faith in him to bring something decidedly new to it – otherwise I doubt he’d even pursue creating a new version of a song that’s been so faithfully covered from year to year. I can think of versions by The Cure, Broken Social Scene, Jose Gonzalez, Swans, New Order – even Fall Out Boy put out a cover of this tune didn’t they? The list could go on for miles – it’s respected writing, tried & true – a song so emotionally bold and subtle that once you discover the essence of the heart of its meaning & sound, you unlock a whole new-level of enjoyment that’s firmly led to this song being reinterpreted and celebrated throughout the music-scene for decades now. Lots to dig about the Untitled Art perspective on this tune – that’s seriously vibrant electro for one thing, and for another, the robotic-effects and approach to the vocals gives this whole version another dimension in sound that’s massively appealing. Overall, it’s a solid update on the original for sure – I like that “Love Will Tear Us Apart (Part 1)” isn’t too much of any one thing – electro-based for sure, but also with memorable moments of alternative edge, post-punk moodiness, industrial attitude, and EDM spirit when it comes to a lot of how this cut moves. Certainly no complaints from me when it comes to the production and performance here – David always puts the work & effort in and it’s something you can truly hear…as moody & lethargic as covers of this song can so often be, for what it’s worth, he sounds inspired to be taking this tune on and giving it yet another new life. Smart to thread some gnarly instrumental sections into the mid-section of this tune – I think if you weren’t paying attention to the remarkable composition of sounds that make up this cover of “Love Will Tear Us Apart” that right around that breakdown, you’ll really take notice. Then as you do the right thing and repeat listening again and again, believe me, you’ll get even more out of this track each time you listen…the amount of layers that David’s working with are as impressive as how he shifts the focus from sound to sound and keeps our attention affixed by keeping the mix ambitious and genuinely fresh to listen to. He’s done the ultimate that you can in my opinion – when covering a song, I firmly believe that the essence of its magic still needs to be retained while somehow bringing your own defined sound or point of view to it – and I felt like you really get that here in the Untitled Art version.
As far as the original tune goes, Untitled Art has got a killer single/video combination goin’ on with “The Change (Part 1)” – gotta admit, visually this grabbed my attention real quick while the music built up in the background as I was checking this out for the first time. That’s definitely a part of the magic in Untitled Art, or at the very least, another major asset to digging the music – there’s impressive attention to detail and dedication to the craft you can both see & hear in this project…the effort is always there and remarkably clear to us when we get the chance to experience the results. The video absolutely crushes…like, I don’t even know how to express just how much this is completely my thang – I love all the effects being used, how constantly they’re added in, the badass level of colorization, the imagination put in, the brilliant way important messages – literal messages – are threaded into the visuals – and then like, don’t even get me started on the spectacular editing of this vid or we’ll all be here til next week. Those words you see onscreen, in relation to the song’s core meaning, end up being pretty essential to fully getting “The Change (Part 1),” or again, at the very least seriously add enhancements & strength to the overall message being transmitted through the intensity of this wild electro jam. Ultimately “The Change (Part 1)” is as much of a comment on you, me, or anyone else you know just as much as it is about its creator…we’re all both victims of & friends to change…there’s times where it can savage your entire life and there’s surely just as many where it’s required for our own evolution. “The Change (Part 1)” comments on all of this in multiple ways, especially when you include the video in that equation – and as always, I’d say that without question, Untitled Art has made another cut that’ll make you think.
Do we change? Don’t we change? I honestly flip back & forth between this concept almost daily in my own head – Untitled Art will reach for a conclusive decision on all that by the end of this storming fury of electro-mayhem where you’ll know where David stands on this subject beyond the shadow of a doubt. Great layout though…I love the way the song immediately spreads out and claims the atmosphere like a creeping shadow once the initial intro breaks and “The Change (Part 1)” heads towards & into the verse; you add in that explosiveness in the chorus and the bold expressiveness in the vocals that comes with it – you end up in quite an involved & innovative experience that takes you on a massive audio adventure. Once again, the video will reveal more depth to the idea in a complement to the song by also addressing several key things that go beyond to ‘do/don’t we change’ questions and into even more expanded concept that goes on to wonder about the ‘how’ and ‘why’ we change…what we should/shouldn’t be changing for…what change can bring about, what its limitations are…what are the benefits, what the consequences could be…IS change even a good idea to pursue? Tons of stuff that would fill up a whole semester or more of your psychology or sociology class. Reminds me a lot of the vibe of the first two records from Stabbing Westward in terms of composition and sound dynamics…loving that about “The Change (Part 1)” for sure – where this song will deviate from being too much like the SW sound is mostly through the vocals, which reveal that mix of Post-Punk/Industrial in David’s influences and offers our ears another vibrant layer of texture that contributes strongly to the color & charisma of this single.
He might consider it to be Untitled Art & all…but there’s no question about it, this dude does make ART and clearly puts everything he’s got into every moment of his music, videos, and career with tangible passion – just as you’d hope an artist would bring to every second of what we see & hear but so few ever really do. The videos are killer, the mixes, production, performances are all coming out sounding just as excellent & engaging…Untitled Art is clearly at full strength heading into the official release of the new album 13 Part 1 this November. Until that day comes, you got these singles to enjoy in advance – so make sure you do that – find links to the music right underneath these very words you’re reading!
Listen to “Love Will Tear Us Apart (Part 1)” by Untitled Art and purchase at iTunes here:
https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/love-will-tear-us-apart-single/1434443682
Listen to “The Change (Part 1)” by Untitled Art and purchase at iTunes here:
https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/the-change-pt-1-single/1434406058
Find out more about Untitled Art by visiting the official pages below.
Twitter: https://twitter.com/UntitledDave
Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/untitled_art
Bandcamp: https://untitledart.bandcamp.com
Join the thousands of bands & artists reviewed at sleepingbagstudios by clicking here!
