As Unwed Sailor enters its third decade of creating lush, evocative instrumental music, the reasons behind the success of Johnathon Ford’s musical project can be distilled into a single word: honesty. “There’s not one note on an Unwed Sailor record that I don’t believe in,” says Ford. “This is an honest representation of what’s going on in my being. We’re not trying to fool or dazzle anybody. We’re just bearing it as honestly as we can.” Unwed Sailor’s previous album, Heavy Age (2019), emerged from a dark period in Ford’s life. But as its title suggests, Look Alive comes from a place of strength and inspiration. Its seven songs are about emerging from hardship, not unscathed, but rather, with newfound conviction in who you are.