Over our 3 years at Couchdog we have developed and maintained relationships with a variety of artists. A community of creatives who we loved to colloborate with and champion their art. One of the main fixtures of this group is the great Uncle Umma. A band out of Melbourne/Naarm that have shown an eclectic mix of sounds during the early days of their discography.
On first instinct it is easy to simply catergorize the band as simply 'Psych Rock'. They have the fuzzy overdriver guitars, playful lyrics that lean into the abstract and a certain warmth to the production that is reminiscent to a lot of Australia's most succesful Psych Rock bands. However, as evident throughout their single Submarine and the Naked Faces EP, Uncle Umma can effortlessly employ hints of other genres which include Dub, Garage and even Punk.
With their newest release Drive" the band really lock in and focus on groove. While there are catchy melodic phrases on the guitar the real driving (ha!) force behind the track is the rhythm.
The incredibly tight straight beat that propels the song forward immediately captures the listeners attention. The guitar is even used as a rhythmic force with the repetition of the simple yet effective riff almost forcing us to nod our head along.
Vocally, this song treads new ground for Uncle Umma. Borrowing from British Post – Punk with a more lackadaisical yet still energetic style of delivery. The vocal phrasing throughout the verses would not be out of place in the early 2000’s either, as the personality and rhythm in the delivery of the lyrics are reminiscent of Mike Skinner and The Streets.
With this single, Uncle Umma really showcase their ability to engage in a more fun, playful and instantly catchy style of writing. This is a song that made to be seen and danced to live, so make sure you check out Uncle Umma’s upcoming dates and catch a show!
You can check out Uncle Umma here
You can listen to Drive here