When Jay Webster - better known as SHAOLIN G - checks in ahead of UnityTX's latest release, the day is already moving quickly. "Life is swell," he says, speaking before an event later that afternoon. "We are just trying to get the work done and promote our album listening party this afternoon."The Dallas group have spent over a decade carving out their own lane within heavy music, merging metal, hip-hop and electronic textures into a sound that resists easy categorisation. Since forming in 2014, UnityTX have consistently pushed those elements together in ways that reflect their own instincts rather than prevailing trends. Their new full-length, 'Somewhere, In Between…', continues that trajectory while also capturing a moment of reflection.Writing began soon after the previous touring cycle wrapped up. "We began writing the album in November 2024, fresh off of tour," Webster explains. Early sessions produced a handful of tracks, though only one survived the process. "We wrote four songs in the studio, but only one made it out." From there, the creative approach shifted into a more piecemeal workflow. "Then, from December until April 2025, Brandon and I started writing our own demos and sent them to the band upon completion. Jon wrote some drum parts, and we worked with them to make songs like 'Enjoy Tha Show'."Ideas also emerged in less traditional ways. Webster points to two tracks that started life online rather than in a rehearsal space. "I wrote 'Crash N Burn' and 'Lucid' from just making riffs to post as content on Instagram."
Across its fourteen songs, the project reflects years of persistence within a scene that has slowly moved toward territory UnityTX had already been exploring. Webster first started noticing the shift a few years ago. "I feel like, as of 2020, I started to notice how there were more bands trying to do what I had based most of the last decade trying to accomplish," he says. Watching that dynamic unfold has been frustrating at times. "It's kind of a slap in the face to see others jump in and do what I've been doing, then get the way in and blow up in less than 10 years."That perspective carries weight after more than a decade of commitment. "I'm on the 13th year writing music with UnityTX," Webster says. "I've made so many sacrifices to put my soul into this - I feel so unreal most of the time." Much of the writing followed instinct rather than rigid planning. "This album is for sure based on contemplation and crashing out. Ninety per cent of the lyrics were freestyled in the studio as I'm recording, so a lot of it's just catharsis."The atmosphere that emerged from those sessions shaped the music itself. "The sonic direction of this album is essentially what it is to light a fire in the dark and feel the warmth die as it fades."Part of that reset also involved stepping away from expectations that crept in once industry attention grew. Webster describes a desire to reconnect with the motivations that first drove the group. "I just want to get back to being an artist - not a vocalist of a band," he says. Experimentation remains central to that identity. "Experimenting with our music was what helped me feel confident in the essence of UnityTX."He also finds inspiration in spaces where artists operate without commercial pressure guiding their decisions. "I like the connection to the Underground," Webster says. "Granted, there are repetitive acts everywhere you go, but at least there are more risks being taken in that world because they aren't surrounded by suits trying to coerce the artist into making something only TikTok will eat up."
Musically, the new material digs further into the hybrid approach that has always defined UnityTX. "The goal was to go deeper on the ground we stand," Webster explains. "Challenge the trendy shit because ain't no way in hell I'm gonna play that game. We've never been about going with what everyone else was doing because it's not rooted in the soul we give to the music."Even with that focus, the tracklist still leaves room for unexpected turns. Webster points to one particular moment when asked whether listeners might be surprised. "'Lucid' for sure," he says. "I wanted to give the kinda post-hardcore, v-neck, Attack Attack!, crabcore-type shit because I love that shit, and also why not? There are 14 songs on this album, we gotta keep 'em on their toes."Elsewhere, the themes move beyond music and into questions of identity. Webster has previously spoken about feeling ethnically out of place within certain corners of heavy music, and increased visibility has only sharpened that experience. "I do feel the visibility now after having gone through half of the 20s, but I still get confused for the next black man in metal," he says. These days, the reaction is simpler. "I don't really care anymore cause real ones know wtf goin on."
Performing the material brings its own challenges. Asked whether any track feels especially personal to deliver live, Webster laughs. "Damn near every song, because why did I write that many vocal parts?"The recording process also required managing internal pressure. When asked about the toughest obstacle during its creation, he answers directly: "Trying not to crash out." Despite that intensity, Webster hopes listeners come away with a clear understanding of what UNITYTX represent. "UnityTX is here to stay."Looking ahead, the group's ambitions extend beyond the current release. Large audiences remain a major draw. "We want to do successful tours for sure, but we need festival appearances," he says. "I thrive on the energy of big crowds of oblivious people and know their experience from the moment we start to finish."Creative growth remains equally important. "We need to expand musically as well. I want more collabs with artists I listen to and admire to keep the experimentation fresh."Underneath everything sits the perspective that has guided UnityTX since the beginning. "We ain't come from shit and we been had this on our back," Webster says. "No matter the pressure, we stay true to what feels real to our circumstances."That determination continues to shape the group's outlook. "Not everyone is fighting our fight, but we are - so thank Ü for giving a sh!t about a group of minorities from Texas."UnityTX's album 'Somewhere, In Between…' is out now.
