Unwound – Leaves Turn Inside You (2xLP, 25th Anniversary Edition)

Unwound's Leaves Turn Inside You arrived in 2001 as the final studio album from the Tumwater, Washington trio, and it still stands apart in their catalogue. Recorded in a decaying farmhouse basement around the turn of the century, it pushes the band’s post-hardcore and no-wave roots into something far more expansive: dense layers of chopped guitar, guttural bass, battered synths and chant-like vocals moving through slow, airless rhythms. The oft-repeated description of it as a “choral grunge” record makes sense once you hear how huge and strangely communal these songs feel.

What makes the album so compelling is its scale and patience. Across fourteen tracks, Unwound trade some of their earlier ferocity for a wider, more immersive sound, building long-form pieces that feel hypnotic rather than merely abrasive. That shift helped make Leaves Turn Inside You one of the band’s defining statements: a double album that sounds meticulously assembled but never polished smooth, with the rough texture of a group stretching its language as far as it will go.

This 25th anniversary edition underlines why the record has lasted. Remastered from the original analog tapes, it revisits an album often singled out as one of the most singular rock records of the early 2000s. For anyone coming to Unwound from their harsher earlier releases, this is the point where their sound opens out without losing its weight.

Features

• 2xLP, Black Vinyl, 25th Anniversary Edition
• Remastered from the original analog tapes
• Silver foil jacket with emboss, deboss and spot varnish
• Includes replica 12x24" poster
• Gatefold sleeve

Reviews

• In many respects, Leaves Turn Inside You is the band's most ambitious, sweeping, and difficult outing yet. - Pitchfork