UV Race are a six piece from Australia who have a slew releases out on some pretty great labels like Almost Ready, Aarght! Records and S-S to name a few. Their last album 'Homo' was one of my favourite releases of 2011 so it's the height of downplay to say that I was looking forward to their follow up 'Racism'. These ten new songs offer up, to my ears at least, some psych and pop ideas by a group who sound as though they could haven been punk fans in their formative years. Recorded and mastered by Mikey Young this is the band's second album for the always great In The Red Records.
"Life Park" sounds off, "Left my kids, and my wife, I was working 9-5, I was working just to survive", with deadpan vocals, metronomic beats accompanied by roaming bass sounding as quotidian as it comes. It's this sense of ennui that best describes 'Racism'. Also shown on "Nuclear Family", a cacophonous track made up of angular, scorching guitars mono-toned vocals and deadened beats - all qualities you might expect to find from a post-punk song. Favourite track is closer "Memenonome", an otherworldly number featuring eventide guitars and bass alongside chanting vocals and deranged trumpet sounds.
For me this album is made up of opposites - there's abrasiveness put next to saccharine, downhearted lyrics put to upbeat music and crassness juxtaposed with sensitivity (check out "Sophie Says" vs "I'm A Pig" to see what I mean!). 'Racism' challenges the mundane whilst carrying forward the sound of punk today making music a more exciting place to escape the daily grind.
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