There’s a lot of cynicism in the world of music today. Bands seem to come prepackaged, styled, built for a target market, and listeners have gotten wise to it or they’ve gotten dumb. Rare indeed is it to hear the result of a humble three-piece outfit putting in genuine work, the work that spends long nights in cramped rehearsal rooms figuring out how to tell the story they want to tell, the kind that speaks to being good musicians but also good people: unpretentious, unpackaged and creatively unbridled. That’s what the Unlevels do, and they’re doing it better than ever on Movie Love, their third release - an album all about taking direct, personal stories and shining the spotlight on them, flickering by at twenty four frames per second.When I first met Kristina, Brian and Colin, I was immediately hooked by their honesty and approachability, their willingness to be human beings and create connections through their music. That honesty comes across on Movie Love in spades: they each show the willingness to open up, to show vulnerable sides of themselves. The Brian of “Everywhere,” at full rock volume, reflected himself into the spacefaring melancholic balladeer we hear on “Another Earth.” Kristina, whose swagger and fire practically cut through the booth during the session for “Clever,” unfolded whole new intricate layers of her trademark style when it came time to cut “Pages” and found the courage to stand stark and haunting at the center of “Awake.” Colin, the band’s rhythmic center, explored harmonic and vocal territory that he’d previously never charted to give the band’s arrangements new depth. Weird textures, slide guitar, horns, Wurlitzer: all risks that took time to work through - and they pay off in spades. “If You Go” is a personal favourite: I particularly enjoy tracing the path the song has charted from its very early demo days, when it was almost a Dinosaur Jr. by way of Fleetwood Mac idea, to the reimagined, full-band effort it is now. There’s still a little “Rumors” to this record, and maybe a little “Hand it Over” too.The band kept close to their West Coast origins when it came time to move the production process forward from Times Infinity to Movie Love: they sought out the mixing talents of Stu McKillop at Rain City Recorders to broaden and define the space around their sound. The result is a record that shows its homegrown roots while developing its own distinct atmosphere, one that pushes and pulls, flickering into dark corners and bright flares, full of bravado but at the same time more intimate and reflective than their previous work. This is an honest record by an honest band. Play it.Chris Matei1. Everywhere - (written by B. Chan) Brian - acoustic and electric guitars, lead vocal, Kristina - bass and b/u vocal, Colin - drums and b/u vocals2. Clever - (written by K. Yballe) Kristina vocals and bass, Brian - acoustic guitar and keyboard, Colin - electric guitar and drums3. I Know - (written by K. Yballe) Kristina - vocals and piano, Brian - bass and b/u vocal, Colin - drums and b/u vocal4. Pages - (written by K. Yballe) Kristina vocals and piano, Brian - guitar, Colin - bass and drums5. Another Earth - (written by B. Chan) Brian - vocals and bass, Kristina - piano and b/u vocals, Colin - drums and b/u vocals, Neil Wyles - trumpets and French horn6. You - (written by B. Chan) Brian - vocals and electric guitar, Kristina - keyboard and mini glockenspiel, Colin - acoustic guitar7. Road Trip - (written by B. Chan) Brian - vocals, slide and electric guitar, Kristina - vocals and bass, Colin - vocals and drums8. Awake - (written by K. Yballe) Kristina vocals and piano, Brian - bass, Colin - drums9. If You Go - (written by B. Chan) Kristina - vocals and bass, Brian - vocals and guitar, Colin - drums and b/u vocals10. This Life - (written by K. Yballe) Kristina - vocals and piano, Brian - guitars and bass, Colin- drumsAll songs arranged by The Unlevels. The Unlevels are: Kristina Yballe, Brian Chan, and Colin Darling.Recorded August 2015 at The Farm Studios - Vancouver by Chris Matei, assisted by Nick Dettman.Mixed and Mastered at Raincity Recorders - Vancouver by Stu McKillop.