Ben Thorn, Sam Beck, Emilio Parla and Russ Smith are Boston, Lincolnshire alternative rock/pop four-piece, The Ultraviolet, and today (March 21) they released EP, The Tales Of Our Youth.
They “pride themselves in playing huge, tight and energetic shows with a sound that can most accurately be described as Alternative Rock with a dash of Pop-Punk”.
Over the course of last year, The Ultraviolet have had success with the release of their debut music video, “Wake Up Dead”. This was also accompanied by a UK tour and a bunch of festival shows which has seen the band sharing the stage with notable acts such as Lonely The Brave, Hunter & The Bear, Anavae, My Heart Is A Metronome, Grumble Bee and Like Torches.
Bands they like, and perceivable influences, are Foo Fighters, Mayday Parade, Stereophonics, Taking Back Sunday, Jimmy Eat World and Feeder.
To start with, “You’re Better On Your Own”. It comes in with eerie sounds before guitar and bass is joined with jubilant drums. Emphatic. Things then pare down, again, the bass sliding and mournful. The chorus is crushing and glorious. Then the guitar really swaggers, a glint in the eye and raucous. “This, I start, again/I feel the noose is tightening” is to the point and dramatic.
So much of the song’s overall energy is encapsulated in those lines. Guitar wails with a passion befitting of such an explosive track. Drums are then isolated for an excellent show of dynamics. Moody the word. The closing minute shouts from the rooftops, a cry for attention born out of pride rather than despondency.
A warning is then shot via “Signal Flare”, which’s imploring, with distorted, dirty bass driving as cool as a Wild West gunslinger. A keen sense of melody is heard with a whooping backing vocal arrangement. The guitar lines are taut and emotional.
The aforementioned bass really grooves, locking in with drums and intermittent guitar. “Do you get the feeling you’re alone?/Nothing major, nothing set in stone” again encapsulates the whole basis of the song in just a few expert moments.
The incisive, ringing bass cuts with such clarity reverberating, like those thick chords, in the listener’s head. Bass drum than pounds with ambient keyboard before things get yet clearer. So crystal clear it’s shocking, and massively satisfying.
The more sedate “I Wrote You A Letter” starts with a mixture of despondency and the feel of distant hope. The melancholy doesn’t last long, though. Things get heavy, though only for that initial mood to be recaptured. “…say what’s on my mind” cues the guitar solo. Such passion, it seems evidently, on his mind, indeed. Untamed and wild, that of the daring heart.
Mixed vibes greet you in “Wake Up Dead”, opening with a similar, thoughtful feeling. Not all guns blazing. At least not at first. Indeed, the seesaw dynamics of the track’s a bit more complicated than a simple summary of the opening moments. In fact, an emerging riff is quite groovy and syncopated. High register bass, a fill not too far from a solo, rears its head, too. High octane guitar roars like a wildcat. The growl of a lynx. Ringing feedback sees the track out.
“All I Need Is To Be Needed” sees the end of the EP, an ending seemingly happy and triumphant. Chugging guitar, complete with pounding bass drum. Crushing emphatic victory only after initial serious struggle and strife.
A cyclical riff follows, before a commanding and dramatic guitar solo. Fitting how the end of the EP sees the apex to all prior lead performances. So much power and passion, emotive of so many unspoken and impossible to verbalize thoughts.
Particular highlights are “You’re Better On Your Own”, “Signal Flare”, “Wake Up Dead” and “All I Need Is To Be Needed”. An impressive four stars out of five, and even the omitted “I Wrote You A Letter” serves a thematic purpose. Sandwiched in the middle, it proves the EP is perfectly sequenced between the four more lively tracks; two before and two after. Definitely proving a gamut of emotions right throughout.
The Ultraviolet have gone all out with a high intensity offering. Practically balls out from start to end, they also bring forth more mellow and thoughtful moments, too. It’s sequenced and put together in such a way that it never sounds lopsided. The Ultraviolet’s The Tales Of Our Youth EP can be purchased on iTunes, here.
Also visit their Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, Bandcamp, Gigmit, BigCartel and Soundcloud pages to keep tabs on The Ultraviolet.
Words by Andrew Watson
