A glitter-grunge fest for the stars
UNI and The Urchins graced the galaxy with a new album in 2023. Their eerie LP, a 10-track record titled SIMULATOR, dropped in January on Friday the 13th. Self-described as “Trans-Human-Glam-Art-Punks” on their website, the trio consists of Kemp Muhl, Jack James Busa, and David Strange.
Musically, UNI and The Urchins use SIMULATOR to develop compelling contrasts in texture. In their opening track “SUBHUMAN SUBURBIA”, a slow-churning ballad about a “little black hole town” seemingly fused with supernatural elements, Busa delivers velvet vocals against a rough and distorted electric guitar. More often than not, Busa’s croons are rich and buttery as they blend with more edgy instrumentals and electronic sound effects. The title track “SIMULATOR” is especially synthy with smooth, ethereal sounds that more directly complement the singer’s vocal quality.
Oozing with imagery and clever word choice or rhymes, part of SIMULATOR’s strength is in the lyrics. The closing track “IN THE WAITING ROOM” constructs creative rhymes with lines like “The dentist grins with his laughing gas, receptionists in Venetian masks,” or “Bottles for every sickness, spotted tongues and black liquids.” In “POPSTAR SUPERNOVA,” the band paints their lyrical pictures by using color to emphasize emotion: “The earth feels colder when the blues have turned to gray.” Though the song’s air of electronica suggests a funky space soirée, so its twist is in the lyrics: thematically, “POPSTAR SUPERNOVA” critiques capitalism, with an implication that if humans had to evacuate Earth, wealth would determine priority.
Playful and glamorous in sound yet dark in subject matter, SIMULATOR is an edgy disco party in the stars. Certain songs’ synth-pop quality may remind listeners of Depeche Mode, with themes that more closely resemble Muse’s caution towards technology. Overall, UNI and The Urchins rock with both softness and intensity, always with a backdrop of extraterrestrial electronica. Their world is a glittery dystopia, and we’re here for it.
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