No Romance | Unfold

Berlin-based trio ‘No Romance’ consist of “UK born Lucy Holliday, and kiwis Isaac Hickey and Joel Ivan Thomas.” The group have played under this name since 2019 and have released 4 stellar singles that undoubtedly establish their sound. Their latest, ‘Unfold’ being the predecessor to their upcoming EP which drops on August 20th.

‘Unfold’ is 3 minutes of swirling darkwave and dream pop that pulls you right back to the synth-heavy period of the ’80s; wherein the collision of overproduction and melancholic lyrics effectuated a whole new genre.

The driving song emulates the Brooklyn new wave revival of bands such as Craft Spells and Beach Fossils thanks to their modern flair… all while simultaneously holding true to their ’80s-’90s influence shown through Liz Fraser esque vocals with much more discernable lyrics. The forceful consistency of the synth melody throughout the whole song places you in a state of purgatory between desolation and wanting to dance; though maybe by yourself in an empty club to really feel it all.

On the nature of the song, lead singer Lucy stated, “Unfold is about reconnecting with oneself, one’s body, and the newfound energy that comes whilst re-emerging from a breakup.” The optimistic essence of the lyrics, “unfold, remove all your doubts”, truly outline the feeling of becoming yourself again after a relative situation, all while delivering the lyrics in a mesmerising manner.

‘Unfold’ is a track with perfect harmony between subtle dissonance and clean production that makes for a hypnotic three and a half minute experience. If the rest of the tracks on the upcoming EP are as strong as this, New Zealand music is in for something special.

Check out Unfold by No Romance here.

Our New To Playlist feature articles share some of our favourite tracks from the recent addition to our playlisting. Here you can find out more about some of the wicked new songs gracing local radio.