Here at the Send Me Your Ears studio today, we’ve been listening to the latest single from I Am The Unicorn Head. Extra-Dimensional Overlords is released today, July 15, 2023, and is the latest single from the concept album, Unicorns in Space.
Surely…before we even talk about the music, we have your attention with both the band name and the song title?!! We have reviewed I Am The Unicorn Head on several occasions in the past and have always been impressed with their originality, wit and musicianship. The song, I Fell In Love With A Space Slug, stayed in our brains for weeks afterwards, and now, even as we listen to today’s song, we can remember its catchy quirkiness and expect to be humming it for the rest of the day.
Extra-Dimensional Overlords is an epic 8-minute track that explores ‘The Kid’’s attempts to seek help, as ‘Space Unicorn’ battles Dinosaurs on a distant planet. The Kid sends an SOS to an Intergalactic Rescue organisation the ‘Extra Dimensional Overlords’. This organisation exists ‘behind the curtain’ in a parallel universe, looking out for space travellers in peril. So we have your attention now, right?!!
The accompanying video sets the scene, with lyrics set in amongst scenes that look worthy of some of the most beloved 1980s sci-fi cartoons – think G Force, MASK, Defenders of the Earth. Check out the super-cool AI section where The Kid is hallucinating. This band create real art in every sense of the word!
Extra-Dimensional Overlords starts with other-worldly sound effects and sounds of talking over communication devices. A strummed guitar picks up the pace and the drums and bass join the track, for a slightly Britpop rhythm section.
When the vocals come in, they are layered and fill the sound perfectly. The song takes on a gentle psychedelic feel, and you can imagine this track working perfectly as a late-night study vibe listen.
A driven guitar works well during instrumental sections and the track just washes over you. The instrumental sections have some exciting and mind-bending timing changes as the driven electric guitar, synths and pads mellow you out and leave you chilled and relaxed.
There’s something distinctly “I Am The Unicorn Head” about this track, and it is cohesive in its sound. You could instantly recognise this is the same band as BFF or Fell In Love With A Space Slug, and that’s what’s so endearing about this band. This is bizarre, quirky, totally off-the-wall music, but in the same way, it has found its charming and recognisable sound. I Am The Unicorn Head may well be rather different, but the band have their own sound, which is rare in the modern world of music.
Ideas from our ears
A wide and fairly large boost centred around 60Hz would add warmth and thickness to the low end, bringing the kick drum sound in to the mix. A large high shelf boost in the top octave would add some brightness and presence too. An overall boost in the top end would also help with the presence and brightness but would add too much sibilance in the vocal track so a single band compressor set at 4kHz and above with some make-up gain would be a more fitting option. As always, these are just some ideas from our ears.
Final thoughts
We love I Am The Unicorn Head for their uniqueness, their sense of fun, and their keenness to explore a world of their own creation. Check them out. You won’t be disappointed.
https://www.iamtheunicornhead.com/
https://www.facebook.com/iamtheunicornhead
https://twitter.com/iamtheunicornhe
https://open.spotify.com/artist/6HW4sAcBjVIH0QqfuJQopb
https://soundcloud.com/user-560387187
https://iamtheunicornhead.bandcamp.com/
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGS2HpTQJIUtqjWwwRDO05Q
https://www.instagram.com/iamtheunicornhead