Members of Withdrawal and former members of WAKE have joined forces for a new project called Unappeal, but anyone expecting more of the bleak metallic hardcore those bands are known for may be surprised. Instead, Unappeal finds the musicians exploring a more melodic corner of punk—drawing from Revolution Summer-era DC hardcore and The Chameleons UK-style post-punk to craft something reflective, earnest, and emotionally direct.
The band’s origins trace back to a European tour a few years ago, when Ryan and Adam found themselves sharing long van rides and deep conversations about music. “Adam and I wound up on a tour in Europe and discovered we really had a lot in common musically and in life,” Ryan says. “But it all ultimately coalesced when we pinpointed the root—a serious fondness for Ray & Porcell and Egg Hunt. From there, it was just a matter of when, not how.”
Adam remembers a similar moment while driving through Switzerland when the idea began to crystallize. “I recall a conversation driving through Basel about Fugazi and Dag Nasty that really got the ball rolling,” he says. “We kept quoting Embrace lyrics and doing our best Ian MacKaye impressions for a couple of weeks.”
When Ryan returned home, the concept quickly became reality. “Ryan is one of those mutants who can play every instrument ever,” Adam jokes. “Once he got home, he quickly banged out five songs and sent them over for me to yell stuff on.” Those early recordings became the foundation for Unappeal’s Demonstration Tape:
While both musicians have deep roots in darker, heavier forms of hardcore, Unappeal allowed them to tap into a different emotional space. Ryan says he’s always resisted the idea that musicians need to stay locked into one aesthetic.
“There’s this fear that once you do a dark band, if you move away from that, you’ve somehow sold out,” he says. “I’ve always felt heavy music takes itself way too seriously.” Instead, the band leaned into influences like The Chameleons, Soul Control, and 108, while channeling the emotional immediacy of late ’80s DC punk.
For Adam, the project serves as a counterweight to the darker music he’s known for. “Withdrawal has always been a place to exorcise the negative parts of my life into brutal music,” he explains. “But that leaves a surplus of the opposite spectrum—something more tender or earnest. I wanted a band where I could express that directly.” The result, he says, sounds like “a Revolution Summer band using The Chameleons’ equipment to write songs.”
The band recorded the demo throughout 2024 and 2025, largely to make something they loved. Ryan handled most of the recording duties, while drummer Josh stepped in to track the drums. Adam eventually flew to Calgary to record vocals—and to spend time hanging out and eating with Ryan. “It’s basically two middle-aged guys who really like music,” Ryan says. “That’s the whole story.”
Lyrically, the songs aim to capture the kind of unfiltered honesty found in late ’80s punk records. “Young kids writing songs about things they felt with no padding—just raw words on paper,” Ryan says. Adam adds that the themes revolve around moments familiar to aging punks: awkward relationships, emotional blowups, and watching friends struggle. “I wanted something honest and raw without veiled references,” he says.
Once the demo was complete, the band reached out to Jessee from Meantime/The Enforcers, who runs Demolition Records, and he quickly agreed to release it. “He jumped at the chance to put it out, which was super cool,” Adam says.
As for what comes next, Unappeal isn’t ruling out playing shows—though the realities of geography and aging bodies may require some accommodations. “I think we could be coaxed back onto the road,” Ryan jokes, “but only if we have metamucil and back pain pills on the tour rider.” Adam is optimistic the songs will come to life on stage. “Distance be damned,” he says. “I think these songs will translate even better live.”
The band also offered a few closing “fun facts”: guitarist Brian Baker appears on the recording—but not the one from Junkyard—and despite what the demo’s liner notes might suggest, Adam insists he doesn’t have a foot fetish… though he later walked that claim back.
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Unappeal on social media: Instagram
Tagged: unappeal, wake, withdrawal
