Get to know the French alternative rockers, Unravel!

It's Friday and you know what it means! This week, you get to learn more about the French rockers Unravel. After a debut record released last year, they got selected to perform for the Rugby World Cup 2023 final in France. But nothing ever goes as planned. Check out their story in the following interview! [caption id="attachment_204488" align="alignnone" width="700"]
Photo by Thomas Bernal[/caption]

Hello UNRAVEL. Thanks for your time! Would you mind introducing your band to our readers?

Hello Valentine! First of all, we would like to thank you for this opportunity to talk about our project! We are Unravel, an alternative and kind of progressive band from Paris. We started playing together in another band, Tales, about 10 years ago. We were mostly playing covers at the time, and when we felt the urge to highlight our compositions, we had to create a specific project, also because the style of the covers and the compositions was too different and that’s how Unravel was born.

After releasing your debut album in 2022, your fans were quick to support you through a highly successful crowdfunding campaign. Did you expect such support?

Well, we were kind of torn between optimism and anxiety. We prepared the whole campaign carefully, and we tried not to leave anything to chance. We were obviously very relieved when we achieved our main goal, and very grateful to everybody who has helped us in doing so. We ultimately reached 130% of the amount we asked for, so it was a big success indeed! We were very touched by such a positive response.

What did you, or will you, use your profits for?

As the recording of the album was already done, this money was mainly intended to repay the initial investment we made with our personal savings. We also needed it to pay someone to create our visual identity and to design our website. And on top of that, we were able to press vinyles, thanks to the great support of our followers!

You performed at the Rugby Village Fanzone - Place de la Concorde (Paris) for the Rugby World Cup 2023 final. How did you manage to plan this show?

It’s an opportunity that was given to us by Stella Sainson, who is in charge of the “Musiciens du Métro” (Subway musicians) label within the RATP group. We’ve known each other for quite some time, as we never stopped playing our covers underground with Tales for 10 years. Twice a year, we audition to be officially authorized to play in the subway, and she often offers us to play during RATP events. As the organizing team of the rugby world cup asked Stella for artists to perform in the fan zone, she gave us the chance to do so, and we were lucky enough to play during the big final!

Unfortunately, for reasons beyond your control, you were unable to continue your show. What happened?

Aaaand of course, nothing ever goes as planned. It started to rain just before we got on stage, and unfortunately, we had to stop almost instantly, for safety reasons. It’s a shame because the stage was incredible, with the Luxor obelisks right behind us, the two giant screens on both sides and the huge speakers. All the ingredients were combined for a powerful show, so yes, a tough pill to swallow.

Speaking of live shows. What’s on your merch table and, as a band and music fans, what’s your favorite merch item?

Nothing unusual to be honest, of course we have the T-shirts, the tote bags, and if we must choose our favorite item, it would be our vinyl record, because after all, that’s the essence of our work!

Can we expect a new release sometimes in 2024? Are you guys currently working on new songs?

We are always in the process of creating new songs. We are very picky though, so it takes some time. But since we recently finished working on our live setlist, we are precisely starting to work on new songs, and 2024 seems to be a very good year to release something ! But it’s always a financial puzzle if you want to do it correctly, so we'll see what we can do!

The last words are for you – Thank you for your time!

We are still a very young band, so we would be extremely grateful to have your thoughts about our music! Every criticism is valuable and makes us move forward. You can find us on every streaming services, Spotify, Deezer… Etc. Again, thank you Valentine for your time and your interest, we were honored to answer your questions. See you soon everybody!