Seems Unfair
| Seems Unfair | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 30 October 2015 | |||
| Recorded | March 2015 | |||
| Studio | MJ's Suburban Home studio, Leeds | |||
| Length | 29:36 | |||
| Label | Turnstile | |||
| Trust Fund chronology | ||||
| ||||
Seems Unfair is the second studio album by English band Trust Fund, released in October 2015 on Turnstile Records.
Background and release
[edit]In 2014 Trust Fund signed to Bristolian record label Turnstile Records,[1] and the band released their debut studio album No One's Coming For Us in February 2015.[2] Before their debut had been released, Jones had started writing the songs for Seems Unfair.[3] He was concurrently writing a PhD on the DIY scene in the UK.[3]
Seems Unfair was recorded in Leeds in March 2015[4] and was released by Turnstile on 30 October that same year.[3] Trust Fund also published the album for download on their Bandcamp page under a creative commons license.[4]
Themes
[edit]Jones told DIY that "There's nothing in your face about the politics of this record, but the idea of having individuality and even free will next to the stronghold of capitalism is there in the background...No-one's lives are that explicitly political, but you sort of feel the tensions in quite an emotional and human way. I'm trying to write about that."[1]
Critical reception
[edit]| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AnyDecentMusic? | 7.2/10[5] |
| Metacritic | 77/100[6] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| DIY |   [3] |
| Drowned in Sound | 8/10[2] |
| The Line of Best Fit | 8.5/10[7] |
| Pitchfork | 6.8/10[8] |
| Record Collector | [9] |
| Rolling Stone |  [10] |
| The Skinny | [11] |
On review aggregator Metacritic the album holds a score of 77/100, based on 6 reviews, indicating a "generally favorable" reception.[6] Grace Birnstengel of Stereogum called the album "perfectly nostalgic and under-produced".[12] Drowned in Sound rated the album 8/10 and called Trust Fund "a band that know exactly where they want to go, and more importantly, how to get there."[2]
Several reviewers compared Seems Unfair favourably to Trust Fund's debut album No One's Coming For Us, which was also released in 2015. Nick Roseblade of Drowned in Sound wrote that "Seems Unfair not only trumps No One's Coming for Us lyrically, but musically too,"[2] and DIY called the album "a rather more distinctive step forward."[3] Dave Beech of the Line of Best Fit said that "the band's songwriting has come on leaps and bounds in the eight months between releases" and that "Seems Unfair manages [to] exceed its predecessor in every way whilst never shedding any of the DIY charm that made their debut so endearing to begin with."[7] Pitchfork attributed the change in sound partly to the production work of MJ from Hookworms.[8]
Track listing
[edit]| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Michal's Plan" | 1:31 |
| 2. | "Football" | 2:56 |
| 3. | "4th August" | 3:10 |
| 4. | "Mother's Day" | 2:00 |
| 5. | "Seems Unfair" | 3:56 |
| 6. | "Dreams" | 2:11 |
| 7. | "Dreamers" | 3:10 |
| 8. | "Scared II" | 3:48 |
| 9. | "Big Asda" | 2:32 |
| 10. | "Can You Believe" | 4:23 |
| Total length: | 29:36 | |
Personnel
[edit]- Trust Fund – "ellis, roxy, stefano, and dan"
- Alanna McArdle – vocals on "Dreams"
References
[edit]- ^ a b Liam McNeilly (2015-10-26), "Interview Trust Fund: "The songs are just about my stupid life"", DIY, archived from the original on 2024-02-26, retrieved 2024-07-16
- ^ a b c d Nick Roseblade (2015-10-30), "Trust Fund - Seems Unfair", Drowned in Sound, archived from the original on 2021-06-21, retrieved 2024-05-19
- ^ a b c d e Liam McNeilly (2015-10-30), "Trust Fund - Seems Unfair", DIY, archived from the original on 2024-05-19, retrieved 2024-05-19
- ^ a b "Seems Unfair Bandcamp Page", trustfund.bandcamp.com, retrieved 2024-07-16
- ^ "Trust Fund - Seems Unfair", AnyDecentMusic?, retrieved 2024-05-20
- ^ a b "Seems Unfair by Trust Fund", Metacritic, retrieved 2024-05-20
- ^ a b Dave Beech (2015-10-30), "Trust Fund make a step up", The Line of Best Fit, archived from the original on 2015-11-02, retrieved 2024-05-19
- ^ a b Laura Snapes (2015-11-10), "Seems Unfair - Trust Fund", Pitchfork, archived from the original on 2015-11-12, retrieved 2024-05-19
- ^ Jamie Atkins (2015-10-28), "Seems Unfair - Trust Fund", Record Collector, retrieved 2024-05-19
- ^ Jon Dolan (2015-10-02), "Seems Unfair", Rolling Stone, archived from the original on 2021-01-23, retrieved 2024-05-19
- ^ Katie Hawthorne (2015-10-29), "Trust Fund – Seems Unfair", The Skinny, archived from the original on 2019-07-11, retrieved 2024-05-19
- ^ Grace Birnstengel (2015-10-26), "Stream Trust Fund Seems Unfair", Stereogum, archived from the original on 2022-01-28, retrieved 2024-05-19