English indie-rock duo Ultimate Painting returns with their third album Dusk, dropping this week.
The band is comprised of two voices in Jack Cooper and James Hoare, who met while touring together with their other bands: Mazes and Veronica Falls. The pair’s distinctive songwriting styles were more apparent within their last album Green Lanes, but on Dusk it’s difficult to tell where Cooper ends and Hoare begins. Their sounds weave in and out of each other, spiraling around each other in a simple, laconic dance.
The album is a mellow one, from beginning to end, embodying the epitome of melodic perfection. The first track “Bills” sets the tone of psychedelic funk straight out of the UK. This song voices a nonchalant sense of rebellion, with lyrics like “I like to drink, I like to sleep through the day and every week…” and “I’m not great at being told what to do…” The lyrics are straight-forward, but the irony lies in the fact that neither the lyrics nor the guitars come off too aggressive.
With Dusk, the duo states things just as they are, expressing a genuine realness throughout the project. The album continues with its awesome psychedelia with tracks like “Song for Brian Jones,” and “Monday Morning, Somewhere Central.” Both songs being dreamy manifestations of chill sounds with a mixture of dark and light.
Cooper’s abstract poeticism balances perfectly with Hoare’s alluring and universal pop leanings. There is a simple lushness in Dusk’s arrangements, sometimes only with subtle additions like a reticent piano. Dusk feels different and cements the group’s presence in the modern world of guitar pop, ironically finding voice in exquisite quietude.
Stream Dusk in its entirety below, all check them out on tour at the dates and venues listed below.
https://soundcloud.com/troubleinmind/sets/ultimate-painting-dusk
LTIMATE PAINTING TOUR DATES:
Fri. Sept. 30 – Manchester, UK @ The Deaf Institute
Sat. Oct. 1 – Leeds, UK @ Brudenell Social Club
Sun. Oct. 2 – Glasgow, UK @ Stereo
Tue. Oct. 4 – Birmingham, UK @ Hare V2
Wed. Oct. 5 – Bristol, UK @ Exchange
Thu. Oct. 6 – London, UK @ Islington Assembly Halls
Mon. Oct. 10 – Amsterdam, NL @ Paradiso
Tue. Oct. 11 – Brussels, BE @ Botanique
Wed. Oct. 12 – Paris, FR @ Le Pop Up du Label
Thu. Oct. 13 – Cologne, DE @ King Georg
Fri. Oct. 14 – Hamburg, DE @ Aalhaus
Sat. Oct. 15 – Berlin, DE @ Berghain Kantine
Sat. Nov. 26 – Nashville, TN @ High Watt
Sun. Nov. 27 – New Orleans, LA @ Saturn Bar
Mon. Nov. 28 – Austin, TX @ Barracuda
Tue. Nov. 29 – Dallas TX @ Double Wide Bar
Wed. Nov. 30 – Memphis, TN @ Bar DKDC
Thu. Dec. 1 – Columbia, MO @ Café Berlin
Fri. Dec. 2 – Chicago, IL @ The Hideout
Sat. Dec. 3 – Detroit, MI @ El Club
Sun. Dec. 4 – Toronto, ON @ Horseshoe Tavern
Mon. Dec. 5 – Montreal, QC @ Casa del Popolo
Tue. Dec. 6 – Cambridge, MA @ Middle East Upstairs
Wed. Dec. 7 – New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom
