This week on Left of The Dial, we’re taking a look at the EP We’re Starting to Get Along by Ultra Q. Formerly known under the name Mt. Eddy, Ultra Q is an alternative-rock band from Oakland, California consisting of Jakob “Danger” Armstrong on guitar and vocals, brothers Chris and Enzo Malspina on drums and guitar respectively, and Kevin Judd on bass. We’re Starting to Get Along was released in 2019 and was the band’s first record under their current name. Their previous work includes Chroma in 2017 and the Zombie EP in 2018. Without further ado, let’s take a look at this EP!
“Redwoood” is the opening track (and no, that isn’t a spelling error), which begins with a sample of the theme song to the show “Power Rangers.” The song then cuts between samples of other media among a fuzz of stuttering and distortion, calling back to the VHS days of media, before finally beginning the track proper at around 00:28. From here, we’re treated to a fast yet mellow drum and guitar melody that you can’t help tapping your toes to. The lyrics poetically describe the feelings around nostalgia from the perspective of a Gen-Z-aged adult. It masquerades as almost a love song toward old media we loved as kids, as hinted by the chorus’ repetition of “So hang tight, My heartsick kaiju, I miss you.” Kaiju is a Japanese term that refers to movies/TV shows about giant monsters, like the Godzilla franchise. Fun fact: the band’s name, Ultra Q, is derived from an old kaiju show from the 1960’s. It makes for a cute nod to their name, and carries along with the song’s themes.
“Gool” comes next, being my personal favorite track off the EP. It opens with a droning guitar tone that slowly ups the tempo until the second guitar kicks in. This song feels like an excuse to squeeze as many experimental guitar licks as possible into one track, with Armstrong’s vocals being a way to balance them out. Speaking of vocals, they’re quite impressive on their own terms, as Armstrong effortlessly jumps from high howls to low croons to show off his range. The lyrics are ambiguous, though I think they refer to the feelings of growing up and taking on adult life for the first time. The lyrics “It’s like I fell into a small room, Screamed ‘is this all I got?’” are what gave me that impression, as other songs about the subject describe being thrown into adult life too quickly, yet also being treated like a child with what little you get by everyone around you.
Next up is the title track “We’re Starting to Get Along.” The track begins with a narrator reciting a poem about plastic seats and arms, with an ASMR-like tone in his voice. The discomfort only continues with the slow, droning instrumentals. The lyrics are more straightforward this time, following closely with what the title describes. It tells of a relationship that’s beginning to blossom, but still has lots of roadblocks to overcome. The lovers in question “got an ocean of love, But we love to fight.” Even Armstrong’s vocal delivery is unsettling, singing with a quiet croon, likely trying to channel the narrator at the opening. This tone suggests that the relationship in question is probably going to go south soon, and it’s simply a matter of when it will implode.
“What D’you Call It” is the next track, being the strangest of the bunch so far. The opening keys call to mind the Ghostbusters theme, and the theme of supernatural happenings continues from there. The guitars can best be described as organized chaos, as they go all over the place, from mimicking the Ghostbusters keys to devolving into wild solos. The vocals also follow the insanity (and the Ghostbusters callbacks) as they devolve to a break-neck repetition of “What d’you call it?” as a bridge to the before-mentioned solo. The lines are sung so fast, it almost sounds like the familiar catchphrase “Who you gonna call?”, which seems to be intentional given the multitude of misspellings and mispronunciations we’ve come across. At least they’re consistent, right?
Now we come to the final track, “Wild.” I had issues with research on this track, as its obscurity meant I couldn’t find its official lyrics anywhere. I’m flying by the seat of my pants on this one, so strap in. From what I can hear, the lyrics describe the surreal nature of daydreams, as the repeating lines “Daydreams are wild, God must be high,” imply. The instrumentals carry a dream-like tone, as they’re slow and steady. Armstrong’s vocals have distortion applied, which helps convey the tone. It’s a shame I can’t find much about this track because it’s a nice way to end the EP with how chill it is.
As a whole, We’re Starting to Get Along is a fantastic little EP that gave me a lot more than what I initially expected. I can’t say there’s a single song to skip, since the record is so short and every song has something unique to flex. My top track would have to be “Gool,” with “Redwoood” coming in at a close second.
Rating: 9/10
Feature Photo by Becca Fauteux