Welcome back to Left of The Dial! This week, we’re returning to Ultra Q’s discography for their latest EP: In a Cave in a Video Game. Since I’ve discussed this band before, I’ll spare you the nitty-gritty details on their history. Instead, I’ll recommend that you read my review of their previous EP We’re Starting to Get Along to get caught up.
In a Cave was released in early April 2020 and has quite an interesting backstory regarding its production. The EP was created amid the COVID-19 pandemic, and though the entire band had input on creative ideas, everything was recorded solely by Armstrong since he was the only one in the band with access to a recording studio (that being his family’s home studio, since his father and brother are also musicians). Alongside recording the music, Armstrong also recorded a short piece of video art to pair up with the EP, which can be found on the band’s YouTube channel. I highly recommend that you watch it, as it adds so much to the atmosphere of the EP. As further encouragement, I’ll also talk briefly about each segment of the video for its corresponding song.
Before we begin, I’d like to take a slightly different approach with this review than usual. Normally, I like to dig deep into lyrical content on top of instrumentals in my reviews, and it’s usually quite easy to look up lyrics to use as a reference. However, Ultra Q’s obscurity means their lyrics aren’t readily available online, and Jakob Armstrong’s vocal delivery suffers a bit from Kurt Cobain Syndrome, in the sense that they’re difficult to understand. To work around these issues, I’d like to look at the vocals on this EP from a more instrumental perspective and observe how Armstrong’s delivery works into the mood the band is trying to capture in each song. So without further ado, let’s dive in!
If you were wondering why the EP’s title was chosen, then the opening track “Drkwv” (I would pronounce it ‘dark wave’) should make it abundantly clear. The band’s distinct sound is clearly heard here, this time being translated into ominous chiptunes that wouldn’t sound out of place in a throwback indie game. It would make the perfect background tune for a dungeon-crawler or retro adventure game. It also wouldn’t sound out of place during a walk in the woods, as the video shows. Overall, it makes for a good example of what to expect for the rest of the EP.
“Rosy” is the next track, and it brings us back to Ultra Q’s more familiar sound, free of the chiptune treatment. It’s a quick, upbeat song that alludes to their punk roots, and wouldn’t sound out of place in an FPS (first-person shooter) like Doom. In fact, this portion of the video uses footage from Doom, which makes the comparison all the more fitting. The speed and desperation of the instrumentals and vocals fit the EP’s core theme like a glove, calling to mind the hurdles that must be overcome to beat a difficult level or dungeon. Even before I watched the video, I was visualizing trying to beat a hard level with a team of friends when listening to this track.
“Sticnpoke” gives off a similar vibe to me, being another high-octane track. This portion of the video uses footage from Crazy Taxi, which is well-known for its soundtrack consisting of late 90’s and early 2000’s pop-punk. The choice is clever considering “Sticnpoke” leans close to being pop-punk itself, though it has that distinct Ultra Q gothic atmosphere to set it apart. The bridge utilizes an echo on the vocals to lean further into the goth vibe, along with increasing the panicked feeling. In a game like Crazy Taxi where you need to be fast to do well, this song is fitting.
“Some Dice” slows things down significantly. The game footage used here in the video is for Track & Field, an old NES game that was made to hype up the 1984 Summer Olympics. The casual and relaxed vibe of this song works well to calm you down from the adrenaline-pumping atmosphere of “Rosy” and “Sticnpoke,” in the same way that switching to an easier game would help you relax after playing a particularly difficult one. In that sense, Track & Field works well as a companion piece to “Some Dice,” since its casual, bite-sized gameplay is appealing as a palate cleanser after intense games of Doom or Crazy Tazi. Returning to the song itself, it reminds me of some of the band’s earlier work back when they were still known as Mt. Eddy. It’s a sweet little throwback.
“Plunk” is another instrumental chiptune like “Drkwv,” and as the title implies, it makes for good spelunking music. This is further backed up by the video, using footage from inside a cave. It’s ironic that the video for this and “Drkwv” uses live-action footage, seeing as how they sound the most like tunes plucked out of a video game, though that was probably an intentional choice on Armstrong’s part. Anyways, “Plunk” makes good use of a xylophone to give the song a creepy-crawly tone, which is enhanced by the bass to really increase the creep factor. The track is short and sweet, so it doesn’t overstay its welcome.
“Viles” kicks things back into high-gear. The intro is almost grungy in tone before the tempo kicks up, perhaps like a sudden spike in difficulty? The lyrics that I can make out have a nostalgic twist, which fits with the game that’s on display in the video. This one is World of Horror, a recent indie title with a pixelated art style that’s reminiscent of old NES titles. I really grew to like this song as I played it on repeat for the review, probably for the way it combines the band’s brand of alt-rock with some old-fashioned grunge that wouldn’t sound out of place on a Nirvana record.
“Teether” is the final track, at least on my iTunes copy of the EP. This isn’t the final song in the video, but we’ll discuss that later. “Teether” leans deeply into gothic rock, using an echo on Armstrong’s vocals to make him sound distant and spectral. It has a bittersweet and yearning sound, like when you’re close to the end of a game and don’t want it to end quite yet. To match the darker tone of this song, the video pairs it with footage from Undertale, which is highly regarded for its emotional depth. For those listening to the EP on iTunes like myself, it’s a bittersweet ending.
However, those of us that are watching the video get a tiny bonus track at the end: “Flipper.” It starts off sounding like a descent into foreign territory, like the kind of music you’d hear during a time-travel sequence. For me, the time-jumping cutscene from Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask comes to mind. The sound distorts as it transitions into a trap-beat with some chiptunes for added effect. At this point of the video, we’re treated to a thank you message from Ultra Q, which cuts to a still of the album art with the EP’s title captioning it.
In conclusion, In a Cave in a Video Game is another excellent EP from Ultra Q! The 3 best songs here were “Sticnpoke,” “Some Dice,” and “Viles,” in no particular order.
Rating: 4.5/5