There is undoubtedly a pop-punk element to “Bottles,” particularly when it hits its stride and races away, but even then, it is the other sonics that are blended through it that keep it from becoming just more of the same old same old predictable punk-pop-bop. No, The Unfamiliars? are more innovative and more creative than that.
The beats are that of a raucous punk-folk skiffle-shuffle, guitars shoot emotive sonic motifs through rawer and rauncier riffs, and while the lyrics make for an energized fist-in-the-air, sing-along, they are also deeper, more poetic, and wonderfully nostalgic. There is also a smart use of dynamics; far from the usual undignified blend of volume and velocity that many pop-punk bands feel is sufficient, here there is nuance and deftness, an ebb and flow between pace and poise and power and purpose, and poignancy!
And nostalgia is the key here, the song musing on the joys of summer as remembered from the cold of winter. And the video helps push that idea, a mix of images juxtaposing front-room jams, and insight into their creative process, perhaps, with sun-kissed footage of summers past, a blend of the then and now, not only remembrances of what has gone but a reminder of what there is to look forward to.
As the fourth single to be released ahead of the band’s debut album, which is due shortly, it does its job perfectly – it makes you want to grab that album as soon as you can and hear more. And if a single has one overall purpose, it is exactly that.
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