They look an unassuming bunch, Unit.r – no rock star posturing, just a bunch of dudes and their instruments and then BAM! – they rock out like men possessed. Over the past three years their sound has grown and evolved into the solid slab of…electro?...indie?....post-rock? Hell, whatever it is, it had the floor cooking at Burn on Saturday night for the launch of ‘Phosphenes’, their first album. With very tidy and somewhat Murakamiesque artwork from legendary designer Kronk complimenting eleven tracks that were slow-brewed for extra flavour over a long period in the studio, it’s a package that confirms the suspicion that these guys are pro’s and love what they do. Lead man Goran said he hoped more than twenty people would rock up for a band that hadn’t performed in Durban before, but as expected the grapevine had been working overtime, and a solid showing by the dedicated indielicious crew saw to it that they received an enthusiastic welcome. Even though no more than a few could’ve known the tunes, it was hands in the air and baying for more at the end of each well-crafted tune. And though the sound at Burn has left much to be desired in the past, it seems that new owners and a competent sound techie have sorted it. The result? Solid walls of bass and sharp electro stabs, chunky backbeats and throbbing guitar. It’s hard to pin down the Unit.r sound – sometimes they have ethereal electro textures, others there’s a swooning rock sensibility, and still others it’s straight down the line doe-eyed indie. Whatever. They took the floor by storm on Saturday night, ending to a wail of lament from the assembled throng, then came back to drop an encore that grabbed every punter by the scruff of the neck for one last thrashing, and left the stage the newest favourite for those who saw them play. Flushed and sweating, Goran was impressed that they had faced such an enthusiastic crowd. It would seem that Durban can look forward to the Unit.r experience again, if the smiles on their faces was anything to go by.

This review also published on the Levi's Original Music Mag.