Miserable

Uncontrollable (2016)

Maximillian Power

Miserable is a solo-project from King Woman vocalist, and past Whirr vocalist Kristina Esfandiari. Uncontrollable is not what you would describe as an upbeat listen, but it doesn’t mean that it is any less enjoyable.

Sad and emotional music is always interesting, you walk that fine line between being genuine and being a cheeseball, luckily for us all, Miserable falls mostly into the genuine category. Uncontrollable is a sad record; the emotion put into these songs is more evident with each listen. The songs come across as cynical but at the same time there is a touch of dark humour to it. After all, not everyone can pull off a chorus about putting ones head into an oven.

I am hesitant to describe Miserable as a shoegaze project, it has attributes of the genre, it is slow, low-fi and distorted, but the record has an indie rock/electronic vibe to it as well, fans of both Whirr and King Woman could find likable moments to Uncontrollable. Esfandiari does a very good job of bringing themes of depression, grief, and anxiety into her music, you can feel that legitimate emotion went into these songs, which helps make the album as solid as it is. 

My only beef with this record is that it is a little long, some of the songs sort of meander with a lack of direction, particularly the song “Stranger”. The song isn’t bad in and of itself, but compared to songs like “Violet”, “Best Friend”, and “Uncontrollable” it seems a bit more like an interlude that falls a little short.

Overall Uncontrollable is a good record, writing a solo LP is always an impressive feat, and the time and emotion spent on this record definitely shows. This record is sad, gritty, emotional and genuine. While Uncontrollable may take a few listens to fully grasp, the songs flow nicely and Esfandiari showcases a vocal ability that could find her on mainstream radio if she wanted it. If you enjoy slow and emotional music, Uncontrollable is definitely for you.