Unimagine
Unimagine makes a busy post-hardcore sound relatively easy to follow. Hands Like Houses keep the guitars, electronic details and drums active, but leave enough space for Trenton Woodley's singing to guide the arrangements. The second album is polished and accessible without removing all the movement from the music. Its best songs make that balance feel natural.
Developments and Introduced Species provide a strong opening. The guitar parts have a clear sense of motion, and the vocal melodies give the activity a recognisable centre. Introduced Species is especially effective at bringing its different layers into a large chorus, with the rhythm section helping the changes feel connected.
The House You Built takes a more openly melodic approach. Its softer harmonies sit alongside more agile guitar playing, giving the track a useful contrast between warmth and technical detail. The performance is convincing, although the encouraging words can feel overly direct. The sweetness is part of the appeal, but also one of the record's recurring limits.
Oceandust makes a clearer change in scale. Piano and voice lead the song, with acoustic guitar and later vocal layers broadening the setting. It offers a welcome pause from the busier arrangements. Placed within such an energetic record, however, the slower song also risks reducing the momentum rather than developing it.
No Parallels brings the pace back up, using a more gradual start before opening into a brighter, punchier shape. The band sound comfortable making pop melody part of their writing. A Fire On a Hill then expands the closing stretch through darker piano patterns and heavier guitar, showing how the larger production can give the songs another kind of drama.
The result is not completely free of familiar ideas. The polished sound and occasional sentimentality can make the music feel too carefully presented. Yet the songs usually have enough energy and instrumental interaction to make that finish worthwhile. Unimagine gives Hands Like Houses a clear framework for their strengths: expressive clean singing, active arrangements and a willingness to let a strong melody share the space with heavier playing.
