ALBUM REVIEW: Ultrapop – The Armed

Honestly, it’s hard to know where to start with THE ARMED. Few bands have created as much intrigue, as much mystery, and as much downright confusion as the Detroit-based collective. With pseudonyms, fake press photos, and an ever revolving onstage line-up, they’ve kept fans guessing at every turn. Apparently however, they’re done with all that for Ultrapop, their third full-length album. This time around, they claim to have shed their anonymity, leaving the focus very much on the music. Whether we can believe them with their track record is a different question, but what is clear is that Ultrapop is just as bewildering in musical terms as any of their smoke and mirrors strategies ever have been.

The album’s title also refers to the genre of music THE ARMED seek to explore on the record. With a mission to create “the most intense experience possible”, it sees them try their hand at just about everything. Pop, noise, hardcore, extreme metal and more are all thrown at the wall over the record’s 40-minute runtime. Most remarkably of all, pretty much all of it sticks.

Ultrapop is a record defined by THE ARMED‘s propensity to strike a balance between multiple different extremes, often at once. This is immediately obvious from the album’s opening title track. Here, sparkling synths and melodic vocals collide with a menacing industrial pulse and bursts of abrasive noise. It’s a brilliant opener, carrying itself with a dream-like feel while threatening to descend into a nightmare at any moment. The next song, All Futures, kicks the energy up a notch. This one’s more reminiscent of 2018’s Only Love, tearing along with a raucous punky feel that’s drenched in rich melodic synths.

As on Only Love, it’s clear from Ultrapop that THE ARMED have long moved beyond the visceral chaotic hardcore of 2015’s Untitled. That said, there is still something here for those drawn to that side of the band. The first real sign comes on the album’s manic third track, Masunaga Vapors, with even more obvious moments which follow later. For example, it’s hard not to hear the influence of the record’s executive producer Kurt Ballou in the sheer savagery of sixth track BIG SHELL. This is even more true of the crush of feedback-laden violence which closes out ninth track Where Man Knows Want.

It can seem pointless talking about individual tracks on an album this varied, but there are a few definite standouts. Fourth track A Life So Wonderful has something of THE STROKES‘ slacker rock feel buried within its utter mayhem. An Iteration after it opens with pummelling blast-beats which give way to dreamy indie pop verses and explosive choruses. Seventh track Average Death also deserves a mention, not least for its impressively frantic drumming and glorious final crescendo.

Just in case it wasn’t clear, Ultrapop is a lot to take in. Even after multiple listens, it’s tough to feel like you’ve got a proper grip on everything it has to offer. This is a good thing – it means the record is definitely one that bears going back to again and again. But it is also worth acknowledging that it requires patience, and that it may not always hold its listeners attention. Such is the band’s sonic onslaught, it does feel like there’s a point in the album’s latter half where the sheer chaos can start to wash by. Still, you couldn’t ever accuse Ultrapop of being boring or predictable, and there definitely aren’t any major dips in quality.

The album’s closing tracks also do a good job of regaining any potentially lost focus. Eleventh track Bad Selection provides another highlight. For the most part, this one’s less noisy and abrasive than many of the others. This lulls listeners into a false sense of security only for the band to shatter it completely in the song’s crazed final moments. After this, The Music Becomes A Skull provides a fitting finale. Here the band once again find space between varied extremes at the same time. While the song’s driving toms and rumbling synths maintain a sense of menace throughout, it also features guest vocals from Mark Lanegan which join a simple lead synth line to lend the track a real melancholic and even beautiful feel. 

If one word could sum up Ultrapop, it would probably be ‘uncompromising’. As we’ve known for a while, THE ARMED have a genuine – and pretty much boundless – vision. Either you’re on board or you aren’t, but the band aren’t about to water things down for anyone’s benefit. Undoubtedly, Ultrapop asks a lot of its listeners, but those willing to give it the time it deserves will surely hear of the most creative and fascinating bands in the world today.

Rating: 8/10

ULTRAPOP is set for release on April 16th via Sargent House.

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