Ahead of the full release on Friday, October 31st, I’ve been given the opportunity to listen to a handful of the tracks from Matthew Harvey’s musical Unbound, recorded during its concert presentation at Hoxton Hall last year. Harvey is an accomplished actor himself, having performed in the likes of Violet (my own introduction to him) and the ongoing production of Just For One Day, as well as having previously released original material as a singer and composer-lyricist.

Just from the selection provided to preview the material, it’s clear that there’s a strong vision and ideas both unique and comfortably familiar at play in Harvey’s work. Safe to say, I’m kicking myself for missing the chance to attend the concert, and delighted to realise how soon I’ll be able to listen to the score in full. But for the moment, allow me to share some thoughts on what I’ve heard so far:

(Note: This isn’t a review of the preview material, so my focus is on the songs themselves rather than individual performances)

For more information and to keep up with Unbound check out the show page here and follow the official Unbound Instagram

Ordinary

The preview began not with the opener, but with the show’s early “I Want” song. Unbound has supernatural elements, with its protagonist finding herself in a coven, but “Ordinary” lives up to its name in the most refreshing of ways. As Iris Stone heads into her senior year not just as the new kid in school, but as someone entering a traditional school system for the first time, this home-schooled teen’s desire will ring true for so many – to be ordinary.

“Just a face in the crowd, in a place I belong,” sounds like such a simple dream, but is it really that far from what Hercules asks for in “Go The Distance”? There are a few things I caught my first glimpses of in this number – the touches of humour for a start, with lines like, “a teacher… who isn’t my mom,” allowing characters’ personalities to shine through. There’s also some of the show’s narration, which brings an unsettling quality to the proceedings, with a thunderous voice cluing us in that things won’t be quite so ordinary for long.

From This Moment On

After meeting Iris and her best friend Dani, this ensemble track gives us the chance to see some of the inner working’s of Black Lake High’s senior class. Having had some time to settle in, the 80s inflections of Harvey’s score are more apparent here, and comparisons to the likes of Carrie become easier to draw. This isn’t to question Harvey’s originality, as “From This Moment On” sounds nothing like any Carrie number, and boasts the composer’s blend of 80s influence and modern storytelling.

Moving from ensemble backing vocals to a full-cast vocal display here lets us know even without the songs (and scenes) in-between that Iris is in a world like none she’s ever known… high school. It’s raucous, there’s so many voices saying exactly the same thing, and like so many of our real-life school experiences, Iris never quite seems to fit into the mix.

Move Along

Jumping forward to Dani, the best friend abandoned for the chance to integrate with the cool kids, “Move Along” is a quieter, far more introspective moment allowing us to see Harvey’s range as a songwriter. “Move along, if it’s heavy it’ll only make you strong,” Dani croons, capturing those feelings of woe-is-me that have fuelled the likes of Olivia Rodrigo to teen superstardom. (No shade to Olivia, by the way, that girl has undeniable talent!)

The preview tracks’ first moment of real introspection, it’s interesting to see how much we are able to learn about Dani in just a few minutes. More importantly, her years-long struggles and almost-literal life story don’t wear on and frustrate, but continue to compel. Harvey’s story also has a moment to shine here, with Iris trying to fix what’s been broken between her and Dani, in a believable and tender dialogue section toward the song’s conclusion.

Look At Me

It would be easy to make another reference to Carrie with this mother-daughter duet in which the daughter seems somehow changed… so you can imagine how badly I want to. But as an avid listener of Carrie‘s revival cast recording, I can honestly say that the loose setup is really the only similarity here, with Harvey’s music every inch his own and the dynamic here something familiar but thrillingly individual.

Coming directly after “Move Along,” this seems to be the section of the musical where character relationships are expanded and strained all at once, and the pair of songs do a masterful job of suggesting this even without the full score yet to surround them. As we near the act one finale, it’s truly exciting to feel the plot ramping up, and even without the full context of what supernatural changes are happening within Iris, it’s difficult not to be engaged with the shifting dynamics.

Weird Shit

And then we enter act two. The 80s-influenced sound has been established, the build up and introduction of our plot lines and characters is complete, and the shit can truly hit the fan. With touches almost reminiscent of “We Built This City” to the ensembles exclamations of, “Weird shit!” this is a comedic and intriguing reintroduction to the world we thought “Ordinary” was leading us into.

Stephen King is name-checked directly here, and I found myself openly chuckling at the moment where a character has clearly become aware of the narrator, and is horrified by this echoing voice surrounding his every move. If I were to compare this to anything else in modern musical theatre, the only conclusion I can draw is a curious and captivating blend of Be More Chilled‘s gossip-heavy “Smartphone Hour,” and the extra-terrestrial frenzy of Starship‘s “Hideous Creatures.” What I’m saying is, I’d be hooked from this track alone.

A fan of musical-horror myself, (see my earlier ramblings on that here) I was already sad to have missed the concert last year, and thoroughly excited to hear Unbound in full on Friday. Now, those few days seem painfully far away, and I’m practically salivating at the chance to hear more of this electrifying and individual new score.

Look out for Unbound: Alive in Concert, due to be released in full for streaming on Friday, October 31st in time for your Halloween celebrations.

And, to keep up to date with the show’s future and development, follow Unbound on Instagram