Melodic, malcontent rock
Nine Black Alps are quickly becoming flavour of the year, with a strong performance at Glastonbury and a successful debut album, 'Everything Is'. I admit that I've been quite excited by Nine Black Alps too, and I'm glad to get my dirty mitts on this, the third single from their debut album.
'Unsatisfied' is full of the mesmerising, melodic guitars and frisson of glittering punk that are so in vogue at the moment. The tuneful and confidently malcontent vocals of singer Sam Forrest, "So long since the one lit up your life", are full of guts and charisma that really sets the chorus on fire.
It's a very modest single so well produced that it doesn't need to force you into awe, it just satiates the very basic human desire for good rock music. On first listen I didn't think this single as exciting as some of Nine Black Alps' other material for this very reason, but it's a grower and the more you listen, the more it has to offer: the thrashing percussion in the chorus, the steaming guitarwork, the very punk coda that burns with left wing, indie power.
Nine Black Alps are one of Manchester's best and least egotistical exports for years, which puts them in good stead to challenge the lacklustre indie bands du jour.