Cruel Entertainment, by Unwed Sailor

Cruel Entertainment

by Unwed Sailor

supported by

IlsaJ Danceable post-rock with guitar layers. Favorite track: Sad Help.

weard beard 'cruel entertainment' is a blast! Favorite track: Monty Donahue.

Lars Gotrich Album No. 6 in 6 (!) years from the instrumental rock band. More of that window-gazin' music, but also some surprising moments where Unwound meets U2. Favorite track: Rock Candy.

Travis title track has that anthem vibe

amazing band see them live if you get the opportunity Favorite track: Cruel Entertainment.

more...

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Streaming + Download

Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.

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Download available in 24-bit/48kHz.

$11 USD or more
Record/Vinyl + Digital Album
- Limited edition of 550 units
- Available at Bandcamp, Unwed web store, tours & local indie retail
- Full-color inner art sleeve
- Neon Pink colored vinyl

NON-US CUSTOMERS: lnk.to/unwedsailor (go here and we will continue to add non-US stores for better shipping rates as we receive them or do a web search for shops in your respective country)

THE IMAGES YOU SEE ARE NOT ALWAYS GOING TO BE THE GUARANTEED LOOK OF THE VINYL PRODUCT, BUT IT WILL BE CLOSE.

Includes unlimited streaming of Cruel Entertainment via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
Download available in 24-bit/48kHz.

ships out within 14 days

edition of 598 31 remaining

Purchasable with gift card

$24 USD or more
Compact Disc (CD) + Digital Album
- Full color 4 panel digipack

Includes unlimited streaming of Cruel Entertainment via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
Download available in 24-bit/48kHz.

ships out within 7 days

edition of 500

Purchasable with gift card

$13 USD or more

1.	Rock Candy 02:59	buy track
2.	Slab City 04:34	buy track
3.	Monster Collecting 03:35	buy track
4.	Soft Copy 03:58	buy track
5.	Love Zoo 04:34	buy track
6.	BODYMOD 03:39	buy track
7.	Monty Donahue 03:08	buy track
8.	Sad Help 04:52	buy track
9.	Cruel Entertainment 05:34	buy track

about

For their tenth LP in a career spanning more than two decades, Tulsa’s Unwed Sailor deliver their heaviest riffs, loudest squalls, and most deeply textured arrangements yet. Cruel Entertainment is a catalogue of contrasts – dissonance and harmony, hardcore crunch and post-rock grandeur, complexity and catchiness – that adds a vibrant new dimension to the second phase of their discography, spanning thus far from 2019’s landmark Heavy Age up to the “vivid, starry-eyed psychedelia” (AllMusic) of 2024’s Underwater Over There.

Opener and lead single, “Rock Candy”, roars in with a gale of feedback, pounding drums, and nimble bass, until a latticework of howling guitars ushers us into a more goth-tinged space. It’s a characteristically intricate, energetic composition that flows with remarkable ease between its parts, and wastes not a moment of its three minutes. “Slab City” rolls on an assured, upbeat groove, shifting between tambourine-accented acoustic strumming and sparkling harmonies that spread out across the stereo field. As always, lead songwriter Johnathon Ford’s bass performance provides the bedrock, alternately growling in the depths and buzzing with lively finesse in the upper register.

“Monster Collecting” brings a rare combination of melancholic and driving energy, reminiscent of avowed heroes New Order, but ups the ante with a tight, fast-paced rhythm section and litany of guitar lines, until opening up into a cascade of reverberating textures and tenuous sweetness. “Love Zoo” highlights the inventive drumming of Matt Putman, who creates negative space in his patterns to interlock with guitarist David Swatzell’s stacked, dextrous melodies. Here, the band shines as a truly well-oiled machine, swelling and receding in unison, and situating every part in its right place, down to the otherworldly electronic flourishes that adorn the backdrop.

According to Ford, the title Cruel Entertainment refers to “the hardships of being an artist and musician in the crowded, imbalanced world of social media and streaming,” where the completion of a new work demands that the creator also be a promoter, content strategist, and agent, among many other intensifying challenges. Pointedly drawing inspiration from noisier, rowdier bands – including Fugazi, Quicksand, and Cherubs – here they seek a much-needed catharsis in the ongoing fight to keep the creative soul intact.

Second side standout, “Monty Donahue”, typifies this form of release, as massive, mid-tempo percussion leads a fluid low end theme – inspired by the dual bass assault of Dianogah – and Swatzell’s chords burst into shimmering nebulas across a labyrinthine arrangement that’s equally loud and beautiful. Title track, “Cruel Entertainment”, is a mosaic of sound for which Ford’s bass provides the mortar: taut drums list between the channels, washes of guitar stretch to the horizon, and metallic heaviness punctuates the drift. There is a confident immensity here, proving that, although Unwed Sailor have witnessed a wild amount of changes in the music industry, their knack for creating complex, vital, and masterfully produced work remains untouched.

credits

released May 9, 2025

℗ + © 2025 Current Taste
Written, Performed & Recorded by Unwed Sailor (Johnathon Ford, Matthew Putman, David Swatzell, Patrick McGill)
Produced by Unwed Sailor and Kendal Osborne
All songs mixed by Kendal Osborne & Jonathon Ford
Mastered by Chris Colbert
Assistant Engineer - Tristan Wright
—-
Engineered by
Matthew Putman at Electric Nebraska in Ft. Smith, AR
Kendal Osborne at Closet Studios in Bixby, OK
Johnathon Ford at Current Taste in Tulsa, OK
—-
Artwork/Design/Layout/Text/Font by Gary Prendergast
Published by Current Taste Music (BMI) / Mute the Charm Music (ASCAP)

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about

Unwed Sailor Tulsa, Oklahoma

The instrumental post rock, dream pop ambience of Unwed Sailor has been guided by the vision of Johnathon Ford (Pedro the Lion/Roadside Monument.) Since starting the band in Seattle in 1998, Ford has combined these elements along with shoegaze, ambient, & film music to create the unique sound and vision of Unwed Sailor.
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shows

Sep 16

The Heavy Anchor

St Louis, MO
Sep 17

Mag Bar

Louisville, KY
Sep 18

Pilot Light

Knoxville, TN
Sep 19

Static Age Records

Asheville, NC
Sep 20

Visual & Performing Arts Center (VAPA)

Charlotte, NC
Sep 21

Pie Shop

Washington, DC
Sep 22

TV Eye

Ridgewood, NY
Sep 23

Deep Cuts

Medford, MA
Sep 24

The Bug Jar

Rochester, NY
Sep 25

FEED Media Art Center

Erie, PA
Sep 26

Northside Tavern

Cincinnati, OH
Sep 27

Humble Heart

Clarksville, TN
Nov 18

The Furnace

Wichita, KS
Nov 19

White Water Tavern

Little Rock, AR
Nov 20

Stanley's Famous Pit Bar-B-Q

Tyler, TX
Nov 21

Rubber Gloves Rehearsal Studios

Denton, TX
Nov 22

13th Floor

Austin, TX

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