The Unlimited Stars – Impossible
Whip out your black outfits and eyeliner – Texan quartet The Unlimited Stars (TUS) have a new EP out that’s sure to please your inner goth. They’ve named the EP Impossible – four songs (including a live track and a radio edit) that showcase the group’s penchant for ’80s-inspired post-punk that brings The Cure and Siouxsie and the Banshees to mind while also channeling shoegazers like Slowdive… And while don’t want to get ahead of ourselves, consider this a last hurrah of sorts for this version of TUS – the chameleon-esque band will be switching to a more high-octane industrial/EBM sound in the near future, reflecting their shared love of industrial metal.
The EP kicks off with the title track, “Impossible – LIVE,” a song that has evolved with the band over their four-year tenure. The band purposely worked to capture the je ne sais quoi of their live sound, and the nuance of recording engineer John Meidel’s experimental approach comes through perfectly. A song about being inspired by somebody you probably shouldn’t be with, “Impossible” has a dark and moody glow, reflecting the taboo nature of the aforementioned relationship with a dark and dusky vocal from singer Bre MacKenzie. The group morphed a cello arrangement into the instrumental you hear around the four-minute mark – evidence that this one has been brewing for quite some time… Check out the riveting live footage found in the YouTube embed below.
“First Time” is about… Well, let’s let the band explain this one:
“‘First Time’ is about shedding your ego, getting out of your head and into your body so you can have wild fucks again like you did when you didn’t quite know each other yet.”
Can’t hate on that! And while we respect the commitment to accessibility, we have to recommend the explicit version of this song. Squalling guitar noise and explosive production here propel “First Time” deep into shoegaze territory, sounding angry, intense, and intimate all at the same time. MacKenzie once again delivers an all-encompassing vocal, moaning, groaning, gasping, and sighing her way through the song, giving this song about sex a real sense of sexuality. Musically though, this noisy and urgent composition is incredible and emotional – a showcase of TUS at their songwriting best. For that reason, we’re giving this one our nod for EP favorite.
The EP concludes with “Exu,” a simmering song that brings to mind The Cranberries in is jangly, ’90s-inspired intensity. Sung entirely in Portuguese, it’s impossible (for me) to know exactly what MacKenzie is singing, but it’s sung with a fervor and passion that simply can’t be denied. We’ve gotta give a special nod to violinist Maddy Brotherton, whose string work lends an extra layer of mystique to this mesmerizing track. Stick around until at least mid-song for the best return on your listening investment.
Impossible is out now (June 13th, 2025). Check out everything the band has to offer via this convenient Linktree link.
Categorised in: Album Reviews
This post was written by Nick Sessanna