Since there are several groups by this name at the high school level in the US, readers should note that this iteration of The Unaccompanied Minors is the ensemble from the University of Waterloo, a public campus in Ontario. This particular Unaccompanied Minors cohort typically features 20-24 members, regularly records tunes and posts YouTube vids, and competes in the ICCA. The singers like purple, and they keep busy with live performances. Lost & Found is a short sample of the group's work released in 2021, and unfortunately, due to our unwanted guest COVID-19, it's an uneven listen.

WILD is a bit out of the soloist's lower range on the opening verse, but they've got such great bite on the choruses. This is an empowering anthem that shows off the ensemble nicely with a solid foundation underneath — there's a built-in groove and lots of moments to hit hard and take it back down again. If I heard WILD as a single, I'd be thrilled.

If the first song sounds like a radio-ready production, Shake It Out sounds every bit its DIY status. We work with the resources at hand, of course — money, personnel, time, and new to all of us, safe singing remotely — but the loss in auditory shine and the lack of a carefully constructed and balanced mix is certainly noticeable against the first track. The dip in the vocal percussion quality is particularly challenging to sit with as are the clarity and volume differences in the rotating lead lines. Even if it's a pandemic production, it's still a product we're directed to evaluate as reviewers. Wings has the same sonic soundscape as Shake It Out. There's lots of cool licks in the arrangement that could use a pull-out in the mix (especially the bass line), but it's a flat offering here.

There's no shortage of content from this likable group online; since The Unaccompanied Minors's repertoire covers a bit of everything, seek them out and see what moves you.

Despite being geographic neighbors, I have startlingly little exposure to the Canadian a cappella scene. Therefore, The Unaccompanied Minors get to introduce themselves while giving just a little glimpse of what's happening north of the border. My scoring might not indicate as such, but this is a very promising debut album from the group.

Let's start with the easier topic to write about, the music execution. Overall, this feels like pretty standard fare. WILD and Shake It Out remain simple, focusing far more on solo executions. There's very little flashy about the arranging, which makes it fairly easy to stomach. Wings feels more like the group starting to explore what is truly possible. The backgrounds start to introduce some pretty cool rhythms and even the occasional colorful chord. The cut-time feel in the bridge is a bit of a miss for me, however, as it doesn't accomplish anything in terms of story arc across one track or all three, nor does it introduce any interesting motifs that start to bleed into the rest of the piece. The rhythms get a bit more muddy and everything doesn't sound as crisp and clean as the rest of the track.

However, I'm fully okay with the minor issues, because not all mistakes are bad mistakes. Looking through the album liners, most of the work on this album is purely internal. The recording and mixing were done by group members before being sent off to industry professionals. This album gives off the vibe that the group wanted to record professionally, but either through inability or out of pandemic necessity, they did it themselves. It screams "learning experience", yet still scored as average. Imagine what's going to happen once this group begins to gain footing and begins to use its personal experience to create something truly special. Keep your ears on the lookout for this group, because I don't think we've heard the last from The Unaccompanied Minors.

The a cappella groups that stand out in memory tend to venture into very experimental territory, tackle the basics but at a spectacular level of execution, or both. Lost & Found stops short of tackling either, but shows potential for both.

The common thread on this three-song EP is a lot of good ideas with inconsistent execution. That being said, each song hits that descriptor in a different way.

Bishop Briggs's WILD is up first, and with it comes some really cool soprano high range utilized to create a haunting atmosphere to the track. I really like the use of the group chants in the select WILD shouts, while Emily Tepperman's warm solo voice grounds the track super well. Unfortunately, the lower voices struggle with consistent blend and matched intensity compared to the higher voice parts, and it creates an uneven and overall constricted energy, albeit with interesting components.

I had a hard time putting a score to Shake It Out for a while. On one hand, I found out after first listen that the song was recorded by The Unaccompanied Minors while singing remotely, recorded on whatever devices and spaces were available to the group members. I really applaud that use of resources and making do with a rough situation during the pandemic. At the same time, however, the inconsistent delivery in the many soloists is a major distraction, and I also do not think the song itself was a good choice for the moment. Limitations must breed creativity, and I do believe there are many other songs that would fit this remote recording structure better. For now, in the context of the EP (where it must be judged here), it simply sounds like a poorly recorded and low-energy track.

Finally, Wings is an overall solid-but-safe song with some choice great moments. The arrangement, through most of its run, leaves too much room for empty space and imbalance in the background voices, which also feels at odds with the smooth solos by Nathania Chan, Nai Lee, and Moira Marquez. Moments such as the bass solo, half-time section, and later the final explosively energized chorus, however, keep the song a worthwhile listen. Building a track that is consistently enjoyable and interesting throughout the full length is challenging, but that is how the bridge is gapped between "good" and "excellent".

Something to note, as an aside (but still obligatory): in the album's liner notes, the original performers are credited to the songs but not the songwriters. It is a super important courtesy to credit the songwriters when covering a song — in fact, crediting original performers is optional! This doesn't sway the score on the EP, but it does require a mention.

Lost & Found is a solid listen, even if safe and inconsistent to varying degrees along the way. The Unaccompanied Minors, therefore, have two choices moving forward on their next project to make big improvement strides: they can either continue to experiment with some cool arrangement and vocal choices, or they can spend a lot of effort honing and polishing group balance and energy. Or, they can work on both! But the good news: the group has a solid foundation to work with, an already enjoyable output, and the tools to take those next steps.