At its best, Unloved's second album, Heartbreak, sounds like a slick, modern reimagining of '60s girl groups, but with the bite and edge of Velvet Underground & Nico. At its worst, what's intended to be smoky and alluring dissolves into muddy nothingness.
After Unloved's debut, Guilty of Love, the L.A.-based trio went on to contribute to the soundtrack for the critically acclaimed BBC America show Killing Eve. While the soundtrack shows how versatile and nimble singer Jade Vincent is, she seems more stagnant on Heartbreak.
That's not to say that Vincent flattens out completely. On "Heartbreak," she is in full retro-pop mode, and by the closing track "If," her voice melts into a lovely, lilting little lullaby.
Along the way, however, are tracks that forgo the retro playfulness and production that make Unloved's best work sound so classic and infectious. "Devils Angels" has a more overt darkness that clashes with the lingering hints that make other songs so haunting and cinematic, while "Lee" is orchestral, but lacks the same playfulness that works so well against the backdrop of Keefus Ciancia's and David Holmes' production.
