Saturday night was an evening of many firsts for me. It was my first time lounging in a multi-million dollar mansion. It was my first time imagining what it must be like to be Reggie Bush (the previous owner of the aforementioned mansion). And most importantly, it was my first time hearing the upcoming Unwritten Law release, Swan. You see, the whole reason I found myself way high up in the Hollywood Hills Saturday night (so high up, in fact, that my ears popped during the ascent) was to attend a listening party and acoustic performance by UL that was being held in that most awesome of venues.

Yet even as distracted as I was by the swanky pool, see-through floor, and absolutely wicked bar set-up, I still found myself paying more attention to what my ears were hearing over the mansion’s sound system than what my eyes were seeing all around me. The new album is phenomenal! Over two decades since the legendary rock band first broke onto the scene, they’ve managed to recapture that energy that garnered them legions of fans (myself included) in the first place.

As frontman Scott Russo said during one of several interviews the group gave that evening, this album marks a rebirth for Unwritten Law. What was initially intended as the band’s final release (Swan is in fact a shortening of the original album title, Swan Song), instead marks a new chapter in their journey. Huddled together in the brisk night air next to the calm waters of the mansion’s jacuzzi, Unwritten Law didn’t look like a group that had recently “all but completely succumbed to the extreme pitfalls of being a band.” They looked like a band that had just recorded the album of their careers and knew it.

The night was capped off with an acoustic performance by Unwritten Law in the mansion’s home theater. Everything about this set was so casual, from Russo beginning the first song solo with the other members joining him on stage one by one, to the complete lack of a set list, prompting the band to call out for requests. As I watched from one of several oversized couches, I thought that as nice as that mansion was, I could’ve been just as happy sitting on a milk crate in a garage. This is rock and roll after all, and as long as the music’s good (and believe me, the music is good), the rest is just perks.

For more on Unwritten Law:

http://www.unwrittenlaw.com/