I first started listening to New Zealand based indie group Unknown Mortal Orchestra when I was about sixteen. Their 2015 release, Multi-Love, was one of my first exposures to the idiosyncrasies of production: how live instrumentation can be warped whilst still maintaining an authentic sound. Consisting of frontman Ruban Nielson, bassist Jacob Portrait, and drummer Cody Nielson, the multi-instrumentalists further explore their signature lo-fi sound on the band’s fifth album, V.
Previous hits such as Multi-Love’s title track and “So Good At Being in Trouble” embodied more melodically driven, elevator-pop sounds. V feels like a more spacious body of work, shamelessly flaunting itself as an album for the summer and offering time to digest the lyricisms and concepts woven into Nielson’s writing. Opening with a six minute lament to a former lover, “The Garden” is filled with UMO’s signature overlayed guitars with heavily processed vocals. “Guilty Pleasures” reads as an environmentally anxious stream of consciousness, combined with a positive nihilism of enjoying the days as they come.
“Now I know that the days are getting hotter / Guilty pleasures are right around the corner”
Upon my first listen of the album, I interpreted the beats and production to be almost tropical. This made more sense when I found out V was partially recorded in Hilo, Hawaii, where Nielson’s mother is from. He has commented on how his family were a big inspiration for the record, and I think that a sense of childlike nostalgia really shines through on tracks like “Meshuggah” and “In The Rear View.” The lyrics here are searching for understanding in a very honest way:
“Follow me closely and suddenly ghost me, that doesn’t make any sense”
In an interview with NPR, Nielson called the track “Layla” a tribute to his mother, and it has one of the best hooks on the album. In several places on V, the lyricism feels reminiscent of an idolised version of Hollywood. This trend continues on “That Life,” with a subtle nod to the modern day’s materialistic desires:
”All day swimming, under the palm trees / Look how they gracefully sway / Some kinda gin drink, some kinda jewelry / Some kinda fancy machine
There are several instrumental tracks on the album which further explore UMO’s lo-fi approach to production. Whilst they introduce elements of R&B on “Shin Ramyun,” you can also find a more relaxed, “live-jam” session (including a cowbell) on the album’s closer, “Drag.” After a few of V’s swirling guitar lines, delicate uses of pedals, and gentle reminders that the planet is getting warmer, you’ll all but forget you’re not laying next to the ocean with “some kind of gin drink” in hand.
Listen to V below:
charlotte ryan
Charlotte is a musician and writer based in Liverpool, UK.
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