Brighton’s own Winter Gardens have just released their eagerly awaited new EP, “Uncomfortable / Unlovable,” a seven-track journey combining post-punk intensity’s jaggedness with the tasteful ethereality of shoegaze. A fierce, profoundly emotive offering, the project establishes them as one of the most thrilling underground acts, conjuring the tortured glamor of Echo & The Bunnymen and the rawness of The Sound while staking a claim to a singularly contemporary identity.
From the opening track, “The Honeymooners,” Winter Gardens establishes their signature duality, sharp, incisive instrumentation against hazy, dreamlike textures that create a push-and-pull dynamic with listeners hanging on every note. “Search Party” is another that the urgency of its prowling rhythm cycle pings with razor-sharp precision, mirroring the restless energy that drives the entire record.
As the EP progresses, “U/U” brings the most sonic experimentation between the band, an expansive moment of falling directly into unknown realms of distortion and reverb. But the emotionally loaded pairing of “Uncomfortable” and “Unlovable” really hits the heart of the project. Please think of the former as full of churning tension, a storm of layered guitars and haunting vocals, while the latter is a brutally exposed moment of catharsis, which makes it one of the record’s most memorable moments.
Ending with “Hyacinth,” Winter Gardens’s creative vision has come to full flower, balancing raw, unfiltered emotion and meticulous craftsmanship. With “Uncomfortable / Unlovable,” the band nails down their influences and wrangles them into something entirely their own.
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