We are makers of masks, artisans of our own disguises, shaping and shading ourselves to be seen, accepted, or remembered. Each day, we slip into these façades, crafted with care, adjusting them to fit the world’s expectations. They are defenses and deceptions, polished to a shine, worn like armor. But when we leave this earth, these masks linger longer than the flesh, more persistent than the fragile truth of who we were. Memories and stories become monuments to our make-believe selves, echoes of what we wished to project. Yet, behind it all, the authentic soul stands bare, vulnerable, almost forgotten.
Unlettered, the brainchild of multi-instrumentalist Mike Knowlton (of Gapeseed and Poem Rocket fame), announces Five Mile Point, set for release on November 22. This album finds Knowlton joined by his wife, Kelly Grimm, as the pair cultivate their own haven deep in Southwest Florida’s indie rock wilderness. Here, far from any musical metropolis, they’ve built a world of their own—locked away in Knowlton’s studio, armed with Logic Pro, vintage instruments, and a commitment to paring down sound to its sharpest edge. For them, Unlettered is a form of survival in a landscape of creative isolation.
The lead single, Leave Behind, hints at the album’s tone, invoking the raw spirit of NYC’s 90s experimental scene. Channeling the restless energy of Polvo, Sonic Youth, and Lungfish, Knowlton sculpts distorted rhythms and angular melodies, lyrically exploring the weight of change, loss, and life’s ephemeral beauty—a vivid, driving exploration of the human struggle.
“Leave Behind dives into the personas we craft—the social masks we wear to navigate the world,” says Knowlton. “These façades shape how we are remembered after we are gone, often outlasting our true selves. The song questions how much of our legacy is built on what we chose to reveal, and how much was hidden beneath the surface.”
Listen to “Leave Behind” below:
With three EPs to their name, Unlettered has earned praise for their hypnotic, dark-laden sound. The band, never content to rest, now lends their energy to the upcoming compilation Meat Whiplash Collected/Contextualized on Silver Girl Records: breathing fresh life into the legacy of the ’80s East Kilbride outfit, and reviving a spirit that once echoed through dim-lit venues and underground airwaves.
Pre-save Leave Behind here. The release will be out on November 22.
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