Veteran multi-instrumentalist and Florida resident Mike Knowlton, a.k.a. Unlettered, brings a background in the ’90s New York City experimental scene, especially with bands like Gapeseed and Poem Rocket, to these nine post-punk-fueled songs that also welcome his wife, Kelly Grimm.

“Dither” starts the record with a ’90s droning that might remind you of the almighty Unwound but with brighter, animated singing, and the dense bass lines are quite well done as well. “She Is Inside You” is then a bit chunky and dissonant, almost as if Lungfish grew up on Sonic Youth, though it’s the both mesmerizing and cryptic “Median Coverage” really makes Side A worth a spin. The vocals here are spoken, the drumming hypnotic and the guitar tone slightly ominous. “The Great Dwindle” is deeper still and blends noisy nods and an underlying melody via a haze of post-punk that’s a bit scrappy.

The back half offers us the lower register of the busy “12:49,” as well as the more upbeat musicianship of the atmospheric and shimmering “Leave Behind.” “Boon Dog” and “Services Rendered” exit the listen. The former layers the guitars and offers repetitive singing and a meticulous rhythm section, and the latter rumbles with ambience and no lack of fuzzed-out and swirling guitar playing.

Unlettered make their influences evident, thankfully, and fans of legends like Polvo, Indian Summer, Bitch Magnet,  Big Black, Don Caballero, or even Drive Like Jehu will devour these songs with a ferocious appetite. If those artists don’t ring a bell, and sounds such as throwback alt-rock, modern indie-rock, ’90s post-punk and noise-rock from any era are in your rotation, I feel that Five Mile Point deserves a well-visited spot in your collection.

Rating: A

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