Lead by multi-instrumentalist Gav Prentice, Scottish band Ultras are set to release their eponymous debut album; an impressively eclectic collection of tracks, ranging from folk to electro at the skip of a beat, it’s a thought-provoking and musically rich offering.
Opening with a somewhat eerie ‘Intro’, we are soon introduced to the wonderfully catchy riffs and twinkling psychedelic melodies of ‘This Is Where I Fall’; an instant earworm, it’s reminiscent of the likes of early noughties stars My Vitriol (had Som Wardner had a distinct, impassioned Scottish lilt to his vocals).
‘Napoleon’, likewise, is filled with interwoven melodies and the fast-paced twang of guitars, but fused together with steady, pulsating beats and whispering vocals as it builds to a tension-filled climax. An amalgamation of an eclectic range of sounds, ‘Napoleon’ exemplifies the kinds of majestic offerings that Ultras are capable of.
Perhaps the catchiest track of the collection, the euphoric ‘You’ve Got A Foul Mouth John Barleycorn’ exudes sweeping scuzzy sounds and throbbing beats, resulting in a sonically rich and majorly infectious electro-indie anthem.
Slowing the tempo right down is ‘Stepping Out’; filled with contemplative reflections on life’s decisions, running over the top of simple, mournful melodies, it shows a profound and insightful side to the band’s songwriting. In ‘Team Handed’, on the other hand, you can hear the band’s traditional Scottish folk roots shining through in the gentle strumming of guitar and insightful lyrical storytelling. Oozing a melancholy musicality, it’s a strangely beautiful creation lamenting the wrongs of the world.
From folk to the sweeping, glitchy electronic soundscape of ‘Britannica’ and the eerie distortion of ‘Royal Names’, and back to some more folk-inspired hooks in the rousing grandeur of ‘Holy Cross’, each track on the album is entirely different from the last. Following the witty and brutally honest take on modern culture – ‘The Path To Getting Paid’ -, ‘Sea Blood’ closes the album on a reflective tone. Filled with a warm emotion and delicate moving melodies, it’ll tug at the heartstrings in all the right ways.
Describing their sound as “violent pop for the patronised”, Ultras really have proved themselves with this utterly unique, affectingly profound and refreshingly varied collection of sounds and musings.
ULTRAS is out on 28th April via Hello Thor Records and Instinctive Racoon.