Convert is a band on the rise. Last April, the Milwaukee post-punk/goth rock hybrid—with former and current members of Burning Sons, Get Rad, Assault & Battery, and Cry Coyote in its ranks—released its debut album, Saves. That record garnered ample acclaim (including a spot on our Best Albums list in 2022), earning the young band headlining slots at last year’s Bay View Bash and this winter’s Mitten Fest along the way. In fact, the album was so well-received that its first pressing sold out much faster than anyone in the band could’ve ever imagined.
Suddenly faced with all-too-familiar hurdles in the form of vinyl delays and other “supply chain” issues, Convert decided to take an unconventional approach to holding listeners over while they waited for a second pressing: a remix release. However, rather than remixing their own material, the Convert crew called upon other artists and producers to reimagine standout Saves songs.
“Turn-time for another pressing was so damn long, so when Marty [Defatte] at Triple Eye Industries suggested we do a remix record while we waited, we jumped on the idea,” Convert vocalist Dillon Hallen says. “We all racked our brains to figure out who we should reach out to rework our songs. It was exciting to hear what everyone turned in.”
That collection of reworked material can be heard on the Unrestrained Remix EP, which comes out on CD and digital formats on Friday, March 3. Using stems provided by Shane Hochstetler at Howl Street Recordings, a total of six participating producers/projects breathed new life into songs from Saves. Over the span of more than 25 minutes, Nicholas Elert gives “Concrete” an industrial and electronic twist, Blood gives “Watch It Burn” a dour tinge that’s deserving of a spot on a Blade soundtrack or a Matrix score, and Guerrilla Ghost takes an aggressive and sensory overloading approach with its adaptation of “Cold Motive.”
You’ll also hear liberal—or dare we say “unrestrained”—remixes by the likes of łVic Daggerł, Cellmate, and TransAmvania that each manage to use Convert’s music to fashion something drastically different than the source material, but still intricate and excellent in its own right. Between the already-outstanding Saves stems, the ambitious remixes turned in by every project called upon, and the finishing touches applied by Justin Perkins at Mystery Room Mastering, the Unrestrained Remix EP manages to honor Convert’s fast-selling debut record while also expanding upon it in interesting and unexpected ways.
You can listen to the Unrestrained Remix EP in its entirety here before its Friday, March 3 release on Triple Eye Industries and the associated release show at Promises that same night. Ironically, the second pressing of Saves—the delay of which initially inspired the remix EP—is actually available right now. For the first time ever, it’s offered in white vinyl. You can order it from Triple Eye Industries or Forge Again Records and Dog & Pony Records, and you can pick it up in person at Rushmor Records while supplies last.