Artist: Unify Separate
Title: A Million Ways To Die
Genre: Electro Pop / Synth Pop
Release Date: 9th October 2026
Label: Self-released
Single Review
On the ninth of October, UNIFY SEPARATE will release their latest single ‘A Million Ways To Die’. For me, that means it’s time once again to lie down on the couch for a musical therapy session with the Swedish-Scottish duo. This time, we are talking about the transience of life and about how fear, self-deception, the need for control and perceived security can determine our decisions.
Thump-thump, thump-thump - two heartbeats open our therapy session, almost as if they wanted to remind us that we are alive, that there is a heart beating. Leo Josefsson’s densely cinematic soundscape settles over them before Andrew Montgomery’s unmistakable voice comes in. Floating almost weightlessly over a constant bass line, it draws us into this world of thought.
We make almost countless decisions every day, roughly one every three seconds. Most of them we make unconsciously, automatically, instinctively. Sometimes we make conscious decisions impulsively, going with our gut. Others we mull over for hours, days, weeks or months. We put them off, postpone them (“A voice of hesitation / Always speaks to me”), for so long that others make the decision for us or life itself decides.
We hide behind perceived security, unconsciously clinging to habits, to life plans and relationships that are familiar, “Holding on to a wire / That you can’t see”. Perhaps we hold on to a friendship that feels wrong because we are afraid of hurting someone. We stay in an unhealthy relationship because we are afraid of being alone or of failing to live up to society’s expectations. We stay in a job that has not been enjoyable for a long time because we are too comfortable to change something. Or we do not apply for our dream job because we are afraid of failing. We do not allow ourselves to get involved with someone special because we are afraid of being hurt again.
Andrew’s voice remains clear and controlled throughout the first two verses, while something is brewing underneath. Layer by layer, Leo’s driving electronic soundscape builds, coming alive. Additional vocal lines lend further layers and perspectives to what is unfolding, allowing the thoughts to metaphorically wrestle with one another. Almost as if different voices in our heads were simultaneously trying to explain, suppress or finally accept the same truth.
Then the song unfolds its full impact. The almost hypnotic chorus drills its way powerfully and iconically into the ear, like the voice of a realisation you can no longer escape. “A thousand ways to hurt you / The perfect lie / Becomes the highest virtue / But there’s a million ways to die” - the words gain additional weight through the powerful, multi-layered production.
We try to avoid disappointment and hurt, build walls, hide in the dark, try to maintain control over things that cannot be controlled and thereby shut ourselves off from experiences and opportunities. We are afraid to face the truth and lie to ourselves, looking for logical explanations for our decisions, rationalising our behaviour and explaining it through reason. But if we are honest, then “It’s only fear / Dressed as reason”.
Sometimes we are so preoccupied with avoiding dangers and maintaining control over everything and everyone that we forget just how precious and limited our time in this world actually is. How often do we put things off because we think we still have enough time for our dreams, for change, for the people who matter to us? But life follows no fixed timetable. Opportunities are lost because illness, social changes, the decisions of others or even death throw a spanner in the works. At some point, you realise that “later” has long since become “too late”.
Life is never simply black or white. It is not only worth living when it is free from pain and risk. Hurt, failure, loss and grief are just as much a part of it as love, success, joy and happiness. A separation can mean loss and liberation at the same time, a new beginning can mean fear and hope, a defeat can hurt and still enable growth.
UNIFY SEPARATE do not package this ambivalence in a melancholic ballad, but in a defiant Synth-Rock anthem. Atmospheric, epic and compelling, the song develops a grandeur worthy of a major motion picture or an elaborately produced HBO series. ‘A Million Ways To Die’ does not run away from the transience of life, nor does it mourn it, but instead counters it with electronic force and Andrew’s distinctive voice.
There are “A thousand ways to hurt you / A million ways to die”, but life offers just as many chances and possibilities. In the end, it is not about living a life without hurt, failure, loss or grief. We cannot choose only the beautiful sides and avoid every risk. It is about accepting all of these as facets of the same coin: grief and joy, loss and love, failure and success, fear and courage.
“Time is fading too” - experience this time consciously, with the people who truly matter. Experience it with friendships that sustain you, with relationships that feel like home. Enjoy the small moments of happiness and have the courage not to let opportunities pass simply because their future is uncertain. There is only one certainty in life: that it will end at some point.
We cannot prevent life from hurting us. But we can prevent the fear of it from stopping us from truly living - with all its contradictions, its risks and, above all, all its beauty. Choose life. Choose change when change is necessary. Choose people who are good for you. Choose new experiences, even when they involve risks. Otherwise, one day you will realise that you’ve only grown older, and that your own life is coming to an end without you ever having truly lived.
Thump-thump, thump-thump, thump-thump, thump-thump - and so our therapy session comes to an end for today.
In August, the band called on their fans to create the artwork for the single. In the end, the choice fell on an image by Michèle Paulangelo, which now adorns the single cover and visually represents the song. Paulangelo describes it as mixed-media work: layering acrylic, ink, and charcoal, with touches of palette knife, dry brush, scratching, and dripping. What interested him was creating a textured, lived-in, imperfect surface, almost worn by time. Art and music speak different languages, but when they meet, they can create something truly special, according to Paulangelo.
‘A Million Ways To Die’ had its live premiere during UNIFY SEPARATE’s performance at the Shadowplay (official SOLARFAKE fan club) event in Berlin in August. Anyone who missed it will have the chance to turn a missed opportunity into a new experience on 27 November in Leipzig (Darkflower) or on 28 November in Potsdam (Lindenpark).
Line-up
Andrew Montgomery - Vocals
Leo Josefsson - Keyboards, Vocals
Website
https://www.unifyseparate.com / https://www.facebook.com/usmusicspace
Cover Picture
Rating
Music: 10
Sound: 10
Total: 10 / 10
