Unimagine

The debut LP  from Canberra band Hands Like Houses, Ground Dweller was a promising start but didn’t come without its negatives, mainly through production, with the album being presented as a mass blur of average songs. But what was showcased was the band’s potential.

Now back with second album Unimagine, it seems the critiques were taken on board as the album is not only much more distinct, it also shows a growth as a band.

Leaving behind the electronic bursts that sporadically appeared throughout their debut, the band instead isolate techniques to different tracks.

Offering a piano focused ballad on “Ocean Dust” and a poppier feel on “The House You Built” the band are pushing themselves, if only slightly.

Skills that worked for them before are more crisp, the aptly titled “Developments” shows just that in their melodic approach and nods to their heavier inspirations can be heard throughout in a much cleaner production.

Trenton Woodley’s vocals has a sense of familiarity but with no real pinpoint comparison the talent can’t be ignored, shown best in closer “A Fire On A hill”.

For a young band taking inspiration from the many bands surrounding them it’s not always an aspiration to want to break the mould, and it works for Hands Like Houses who fit in nicely with peers such as Sleeping With Sirens and Emarosa, while still holding their own.

Credit where credit’s due, Unimagine shows a real development in the band, it just doesn’t show any development in the crowded music scene they are trying to make their mark on.

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