Generally speaking, whenever life closes one door, it opens another one. While that is not always a good thing, because the new option might be worse than the initial one, such is not the case with today’s band. UltraNothing rose from the ashes of Office Of Weird and just like a phoenix, the result is brilliant and full of energy! So let’s dive into their self-titled debut EP which is set to be released this Saturday, October 26th.
The trio plays post-punk with hints of noise rock mixed in, along with a healthy dose of melancholy, resulting in a new genre, as the band calls it: melancho-punk! If you are skeptical while reading this, think again, because the mix works really well and there are enough intricate details during these thirteen minutes to make you come back to it again and again.
The drums create an absolute barrage of sound with the ceaseless fast-paced drumming and the several more groove-orientated parts, providing an excellent backdrop for the bass and the guitar to interlock completely. While the former trucks along quite steadily with its really thick sound, the latter surprises anew on each of the four tracks with its playfulness and melodic astuteness.
The vocals are very heavily reverbed and place themselves on the same sonic level as the guitar, by choice it seems, because they round off the aural spectrum perfectly. Lyrically, the EP deals with loss and self-doubt, as well as general anger toward the (current) state of the world in a, dare I say, poetic way.
All in all, I am happy to report that UltraNothing’s debut is a very solid first entry in a hopefully long and prosperous band catalogue! If you want to get an impression of their sound, check out the song below and head to their Facebook page for more information. They will have a release show at MK Bar in Esch-Belval this Saturday, so if you like what you hear, be sure to head over there!