WithShores of Lake Erie, the band continues their grand tradition of heartbreak, fuckery, and ruination. I loved Pain Prescription and Sick Outside View and I was definitely looking forward to this one; Unfun’s combo of pop punk, sludge, and abject desperation all duct-taped together totally works for ‘em. The bummer is—and, listen, I know these guys aren’t exactly renowned for their great recordings, and they don’t need to be—but the sound quality on this record is so bad that the music itself loses almost all meaning for me. It’s distracting as hell. The drums and vocals are super buried, and the guitars are so hot and bright they almost sound like radio static. The whole thing is just rough. I didn’t think I was a snob that got all up in arms about recording quality, but sheesh. Anyway, if you’re one of those folks who can look past that (hear past that?), Unfun’s still doing what they do, and there’s a lot to like on this one-sided, seven-song 12”.
–keith (Dead Broke)