Unto Others Release Single & Video For “Momma Likes The Door Closed”

Portland, Oregon’s Unto Others have spent their seasons in the abyss and arise from the other side with their third full-length and Century Media debut Never, Neverland (out September 20, 2024 [pre-order]).   The record is equally dreamy while never letting go of the energy and darkness that is UNTO OTHERS; one that owes as much to The Cure as it does to self-professed influences like The Sisters of Mercy and Iron Maiden.  Simply put: this is the record where UNTO OTHERS prove themselves far more than just a one-trick, blackened steed, but instead, a band on the verge of something wickedly terrible and utterly timeless.

Today, the album’s epic new single arrives alongside a cinematic music video by Brock Grossl. UNTO OTHERS’ Gabriel Franco comments, “Honestly surprised I wasn’t high when putting this together, cause it’s a weird one.”  He continues,  “With elements of punk/thrash/hardcore/post punk/goth and metal, ‘Momma Likes The Door Closed‘ is our attempt to recreate an 80s B-movie horror flick in musical format. Brock knocked it out of the park with the video, which must be watched with the song for the full experience. Shadows dance across the floor, don’t you ever open up the door!!”   

When writing began for Never, Neverland, Franco & Co. were staggering away from two years of post-pandemic touring and personal hells. Not only did they survive that time, they also came back stronger and more resolute than ever.  “My goal was to push this thing so hard that more people know us as UNTO OTHERS,” says Franco, alluding to the band’s moniker shift from Idle Hands. But hard work came with a price: “At the end of it, I was burnt out, full of anxiety and raw nerves,” Franco relates. That ineffable pressure funneled itself into what became the foundation for Never, Neverland. Signing with Century Media and hiring British producer Tom Dalgety (Ghost, The Cult), what began as an exaltation of exhaustion blossomed into the band’s most diverse and fulfilled work to date. 

Never, Neverland also marks a new epoch for UNTO OTHERS (rounded out by guitarist Sebastian Silva, bassist Brandon Hill and drummer Colin Vranizan). Having emerged in 2017, the band turned heads with the Don’t Waste Your Time EP, followed by the beloved 2019 full length Mana and 2021’s heavy hitting Strength LP.  Now, UNTO OTHERS build upon the seductive and beguiling foundation they’ve hewn out of a bedrock of goth, classic rock, punk, black metal and heavy metal.   

“Mana and Strength can almost be pushed together,” Franco reflects on how Never, Neverland differs from its predecessors. “I had an iron grip over those albums. Every beat needed to be where I wanted it and how I wanted it to sound. With this one, I took a much looser approach and gave the band members a lot more input. This is the first record with Brandon doing backup vocals instead of myself. Even though I still wrote the core of the songs, this one is a much more collaborative effort. I kind of let go of it because I realized it was killing me. And the record came out better for it.  It’s the best thing we’ve ever done.”

Bringing in producer Tom Dalgety for Never, Neverland was a welcome change for Franco and crew. The results of the month spent in Portland’s Falcon Studios (where they recorded Mana) with Dalgety deliver majestically on UNTO OTHERS’ shadowy promise— guitars swell and thrash with color and shape while a newfound confidence and dimension creeps into Gabe’s vocals.  Never, Neverland weaves a spell of its own and cements UNTO OTHERS as the reflectively-bespeckled visage of goth today.

Whether opening for the likes of extreme metal legends Carcass, Arch Enemy or Behemoth or blasting packed and sweaty rooms with traditional metal outfits like Haunt or Eternal Champion, Franco & Company never fail in grabbing the most unlikely and diverse crowds with their incendiary shadow play.   Like the best of their inspirations, UNTO OTHERS isn’t merely content to plumb darkened musical shrines and narrow subgenres – Gabe’s sights are set on something bigger.  

See UNTO OTHERS on tour with W.A.SP. in North America this fall.  Revisit singles “Butterfly“, “Raigeki” and “Angel of the Night” now.  More soon.

UNTO OTHERS, live:

October 28  Portland, OR @ Roseland Theater *
October 29  Seattle, WA @ Moore Theatre *
October 30  Vancouver, BC @ Vogue Theatre *
November 1  Calgary, AB The Palace Theatre *
November 2  Spokane, WA @ Knitting Factory *
November 3  Boise, ID @ Knitting Factory *
November 4  Salt Lake City, UT @ The Depot *
November 5  Denver, CO @ Paramount Theatre *
November 7  Minneapolis, MN @ The Fillmore *
November 8  St Charles, IL @ The Arcada Theatre *
November 10  Detroit, MI @ Royal Oak Music Theatre *
November 11  Toronto, ON @ History *
November 13  Montreal, QC @ MTELUS *
November 14  Quebec City, QC @ Theatre Capitole *
November 15  Boston, MA @ Orpheum Theatre *
November 16  New York, NY @ Hammerstein Ballroom At Manhattan Center *
November 17  Philadelphia, PA @ Franklin Music Hall *
November 19  Cleveland, OH @ The Agora Theater *
November 20  Pittsburgh, PA @ Stage AE *
November 21  Stroudsburg, PA @ The Sherman Theater *
November 22  Silver Spring, MD @ The Fillmore *
November 23  Charlotte, NC @ The Fillmore *
November 24  Orlando, FL @ The Plaza Live *
November 26  Nashville, TN @ Ryman Auditorium *
November 27  Atlanta, GA @ The Eastern *
November 29  Houston, TX @ House Of Blues *
November 30  San Antonio, TX @ Aztec Theatre *
December 1  Dallas, TX @ The Factory in Deep Ellum *
December 3  Little Rock, AR @ The Hall *
December 4  Wichita, KS @ The Cotillion *
December 6  Albuquerque, NM @ REVEL *
December 7  Tempe, AZ @ The Marquee Theatre *
December 9  Tucson, AZ @ The Rialto Theatre *
December 10  San Diego, CA @ House Of Blues *
December 11  Reno, NV @ Grand Sierra Resort and Casino *
December 12  Las Vegas, NV @ Brooklyn Bowl
December 13  San Francisco, CA @ The Warfield *
December 14  Los Angeles, CA @ Hollywood Palladium *

*w/ W.A.S.P.