Unlettered Shares New Single “Leave Behind;” New Album Out November 22

Unlettered, the innovative post-punk project spearheaded by multi-instrumentalist Mike Knowlton, is excited to share their new single “Leave Behind.” The track is the latest single to be released from theirnew album, Five Mile Point, out on November 22 (pre-order). “Leave Behind” debuted this week at Post-Punk and is on all streaming platforms for any playlist shares. 

On the song, the band’s Mike Knowlton says, “’Leave Behind’ dives into the personas we craft—the social masks we wear to navigate the world. These façades shape how we are remembered after we are gone, often outlasting our true selves. The song questions how much of our legacy is built on what we chose to reveal, and how much was hidden beneath the surface.”

Last month the band released the album’s lead single, “She Is Inside You,” which debuted on That’s Good Enough For Me and is available now on all streaming platforms.

Regarding the single, Knowlton reflects, “’She Is Inside You’ explores the fine line between holding onto memories and being trapped by them. When a loved one is gone, we often cling to their belongings, hoping to keep them close. But when do cherished mementos become emotional baggage? This song digs into the burden of sentimental hoarding and the freedom found in letting go.”

With roots in the vibrant 90s NYC experimental music scene, Knowlton has made his mark in genre-defying bands like Gapeseed and Poem Rocket. Unlettered channels an unholy trinity of influences—Polvo, Sonic Youth, and Lungfish—creating a sonic landscape that navigates a chaotic world through detuned, driving post-punk anthems.

With three EPs already under its belt, Unlettered has garnered acclaim for its dark, hypnotic sound. The project’s new LP, Five Mile Point welcomes Knowlton’s wife, Kelly Grimm, as a collaborator. Knowlton conjures fuzzed-out rhythms and swirling, angular melodies while they both lyrically unpack themes of transition, loss, and melancholy—a poignant exploration of the human experience.

Nestled in the indie rock hinterlands of Southwest Florida—a region overrun by flip-flop-wearing, parrothead singer-songwriters—Knowlton and Grimm have carved out their own artistic sanctuary. How does one survive in such a music backwater? By locking themselves in Knowlton’s studio, firing up Logic Pro, turning up the gain, unleashing a cacophony coaxed from vintage instruments and carefuly refining each song down to its essence. In this way, Unlettered emerges not just as a musical project, but as a vital coping mechanism—a testament to creativity’s resilience in the face of isolation.

Unlettered is also contributing two songs to the forthcoming compilation Meat Whiplash                Collected/Contextualized on Silver Girl Records. The covers of “Always Sunday” and “Eat Me to the Core” are important contributions to reawakening the musical legacy of the ‘80s band from East Kilbride, Scotland.