We Were Promised Jetpacks
Unravelling
Reviewed by: Lara Supan
It’s great until you realize they’ve done everything but straight up plagiarize The Killers…
We Were Promised Jetpacks did sound strangely familiar and all of their songs are quite solid, diverse and wonderfully orchestrated. It took up until the middle of the album, “Bright Minds” to realize that they sound EXACTLY like The Killers. Lead vocalist Adam Thompson has a lot of potential, and there’s definitely something to be said for not reinventing the wheel, but if someone wants to hear The Killers, they’ll most likely buy their new album, and not Unravelling.
That said, it is also a compliment to be compared to The Killers so closely. Each song on this album has a distinctly different sound to it but all fit into the same cohesive theme, which is not the easiest thing to do. Drummer Darren Lackie steals the show by laying down creative, defining beats that will have you drumming on your desk in seconds. A wide variation in instrumental timbre creates a lovely spaciousness in the songs that will energize you as Thompson’s voice croons over the sonic melee. “Peaks and Troughs” and “Disconnecting” are two of the most interesting pieces on Unravelling, so if you’ve got to check it out for yourself listen to those two first.
This is a hard call to make. Yes, The Killers are a great band, and so is We Were Promised Jetpacks, but there is a need in the ever-changing world of indie-rock for new, unique sounds that this album does not meet. Points for riffing on a theme, but no points for originality. I suggest you decide for yourself.
Rating: Listenable
