Forever Unclean
“I find it hard to imagine a person alive listening to [Forever Unclean] without having a smile on their face.” - Colin’s Punk Rock World
“[An] infinitely catchy, almost whimsical, poppy take on skatepunk.” - Shout Louder Zine
There is no band quite like Forever Unclean. Sitting at the exact midpoint between the Descendents and Rozwell Kid, the three skate punk survivalists make up Denmark’s most unique - if not BEST (haha, get it?) - import to the punk rock world.
In their sixth year as a band, the triple threat indie-skate-punk-core(?) unit has made a name for themselves through tactics notably absent from the music industry: working *smart*, treating others well, staying efficiently DIY (99% of band operations are done in-house), and remaining true to their vision of Fun-or-Done. Armed with the temperament of a beautiful five-car-pileup and musical ADHD, it's no surprise that so many are anticipating the release of Best, Forever Unclean’s first full-length record.
Teaming up with Disconnect Disconnect Records (UK), Hidden Home Records (US), and Nasty Cut Records (Greece), Best is about to erupt onto the scene with unmatched intensity. Each song can plant a hook in your head instantaneously, then replace it before you've had the chance to hum it twice. It’s like being violently jerked back and forth by two people pulling at your arms - but in a good way. Vocalist/guitarist Lasse Mikkelsen defies glasses-core vocal tropes by wailing like a madman about his worst anxieties, not reserved in the least. Backed by the pristine musicianship of bassist Troels Pedersen and drummer Leo Wallin, the band has managed to overcome the three-piece rock curse and sound like a full band, not just present as one.
Their talent and knack for catchy oddities are abundantly present all throughout the album. Unexpected tempo-turns and key jumps run completely rampant on songs like “Persona,” and the band shows a different side of themselves on dark ballads like “Mandy” or “Broken.” While mixing heavy riffs with poppy melodies is nothing new, you don’t hear it executed much like the way it is in the song “Scars.” And when was the last time you heard a punk band pull out a country-ish tune like “Change” without sounding like Social Distortion’s neglected stepchild (no offense to Mike Ness, he seems cool)? The thing about Forever Unclean is even at their heaviest, they are still at their poppiest. Even at their most straightforward, they are still all over the place. And even at their most serious, they are a ton of fucking fun.
On paper, it seems pretty complex for a band that titles each song with only a single word (“a fun rule,” they say). However, Best proves Forever Unclean is not only an integrous band doing what they want - they are actually one of the finest in the game, even if the album's title wasn’t meant to say that ("It's a collection of the best songs we could write at the time" they say). And that comes from them being unashamedly themselves - they are unashamedly Forever Unclean.