Album Notes

"Tonight, Let's Pretend" is a major step for The Great Unknown, which has been harnessing it's sound for three years in Philadelphia and beyond, playing local venues such as Johnny Brenda's and World Cafe Live and touring throughout the south and northeast. Recorded in Millville, New Jersey to 3/4" tape, the album catches the energetic live sound of the band while allowing for some studio experimentation and textures that add to the listening experience. The Great Unknown are "more concerned with crafting a song than cranking their amps and blasting through a batch of disposable booze tunes (Independent Weekly, Chapel Hill, NC) ," and this record showcases that crafting in a cohesive complete album that grows with each listen.

"I Can See Forever Up Here" starts the album with a twin electric guitar riff and a chorus that begs to be repeated for days. "Self-Portraits", a song about legendary Philadelphia artist Isaiah Zagar, allows the band to stretch out, and is followed by the catchy "I'm Not Listening", which was featured in Paste Magazine's audio sampler last winter and can be heard on WXPN radio in Philadelphia. "Young Military Wives" features the saw and fiddle of the Wissahickon Chicken Shack's Phil D'Agostino and Kiley Ryan, respectively, adding a combination of weariness and honky tonk to the wartime song. The live anthem "We've Got Secrets" is augmented by soaring horns and a dinner party full of friends. The West Philadelphia Orchestra's Jack Ohly lends his upright bass work to "Shrapnel" while the rest of the band offers it's most subtle playing. "Votre Notra Dom" offers a changeup and features the keyboard work of EJ Simpson. The coupling of "Over and Over" and "Tonight, Let's Pretend" find The Great Unknown seeking out the further regions of the pop song, featuring bowed upright bass and accordian in the former, and a symphony of noise in the title track. A crowd favorite, "The Weasel & The Worm" closes the album on an intimate note, as tape hiss fills the background of this hushed acoustic ballad.