As Everything Unfolds: DID YOU ASK TO BE SET FREE?

British rock band As Everything Unfolds are unleashing their latest album, ‘DID YOU ASK TO BE SET FREE?’, on 10 April. This new release will be the third for the band, formed in High Wycombe in 2013, and the first without drummer Jamie Gowers who sadly passed away in 2024. Despite being midway through the recording of the album at the time of his death, the remaining members banded together to finish the album over two years and to record between Hawley and London over three weeks in February 2025. This will also be the band’s first album since signing to Century Media Records (other names in its roster include Electric Callboy and Heriot).

By opening with ‘DENIAL’, a track with soaring electronic keyboard elements and crushingly heavy guitars, combined with vocalist Charlie Rolfe’s signature singing and screaming, listeners are given a taste of what to expect. The album explores depth, unpicking the hidden layers and subtext in both the art the band creates and the art that inspired them, as well as in life. The record is shaped by questions rather than answers, a lens through which to view reality and pick it apart.

‘GASOLINE’ drives the album forward and deals with the loss of Gowers, who was also Rolfe’sboyfriend of five years – “Saying goodbye is the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do”. This track will resonate with anyone who has suffered a loss, but it still manages to sound upbeat – an acceptance that there are things outside of our control. ‘POINT OF VIEW’ is a dancey number that keeps the energy high, with a heavy breakdown and screams showcasing Rolfe’s vocal range. ‘FIND ANOTHER WAY’ begins with clean vocals and an electronic pulse that dies off into a beautiful synth section that pairs with the lead singer’s voice, a slightly slower interlude before the next track. The lyrics deal with grief and finding another way to move on, layered with maladaptive daydreams brought on by trauma.

‘CUT THE LIES’ blends the band’s love of EDM and death metal to create a pounding track with electronic elements that enhance the power of the guitars – something you could dance or headbang to! The track wouldn’t sound out of place in a sci-fi movie or show with its futuristic  intensity. ‘BREAK IT AWAY’ comes unexpectedly, almost gentle in comparison. Feeling faithless, hopeless and out of touch is a very human experience, and the lyrics explore the sense of freedom you can find breaking out of limbo and embracing change.

‘SET IN FLOW’ roars in to get your blood pumping again, with the drum and bass influences blending seamlessly with metal to create a standout track. Drum and bass has been mixed with metal before, most famously by Skrillex and Korn, but this album manages to make it feel fresh! The pounding rhythms are masterfully mixed with the riffs and vocals to create a layered, heavy sound. Bury Tomorrow’s vocalist Dani Winter-Bates guests on ‘WHAT YOU WANTED’, with his growling vocals contrasting deliciously with Rolfe’s angelic highs to give us some of the heaviest moments on the album. The track is reminiscent of Spiritbox in the way the vocals work together with calmer and heavier sections in the song to create a cohesive whole.

‘IDOLS’ is a fearsome takedown of the rampant whataboutmeism in society and false idols who don’t deserve the pedestal they have been put on. As a frontwoman, Rolfe has dealt with her fair share of being held to impossibly high standards by fans and says: “I don’t want people to idolise me, put me on a pedestal and think that I am this person that just does no wrong – because that’s literally impossible as a human being.” Blisteringly heavy at times, but with a clean chorus perfect for singing along to, this is another synth-laden standout. ‘REVERIE’ leans into the electronic, representing another dancey track on an album that blends genres seamlessly.

‘EDGE OF FOREVER’ has a wistful melancholy – it’s the kind of song that venues would dim the lights for, so that fans could light up the space with lighters and flashlights. Gentle, melodic vocals and acoustic guitar capture a feeling that is hard to name. This slower, more contemplative sound bleeds into the final track on the album, ‘SETTING SUN’. The final two songs feel distinct, yet still part of the whole.

This album encapsulates a difficult moment in time for the band, weaving reality and daydreams together and helping them to draw a line under it, giving them space to move on. The sounds across the album pull As Everything Unfolds’ music out of the metalcore box they have been labelled with in the past. It brings in inspiration from classic emo bands such as My Chemical Romance and 30 Seconds To Mars, as well as movies such as ‘Donnie Darko’, ‘Blade Runner’ and ‘The Shining’, combining them with EDM influences to create something that feels contemporary and exciting!