Melbourne group UFO Go lean in hard to their '90s alt-rock, emo influences on their newest single 'Way Back When'.
Recorded at the band's home studio, the group's frontman Mike Miller handled production duties (Mike has also produced original material for other local indie bands Franco Cozzo, Orange Orange, CLAIM and Error37).Chunky, fuzzy riffs reminiscent of early 2000s Foo Fighters open 'Way Back When', which are melded to a maelstrom of emo-flavoured punk-rock, alternative tones that's punctuated throughout by stylish yet dreary-gloomy electronic production.
"Emo never dies, it just starts paying rent – 'Way Back When' is a song about the mid 20s angst of coming to terms with who you are, and the death of the ego that makes your teen years and early-20s feel so apocalyptic," UFO Go says.
"We learn to let go and forgive ourselves of the mistakes we made learning to be people, in the hope that we might go to bed one day and not remember the day we called our teacher mum, or the time we told a joke that made somebody cry."
The lads have also created an eccentric video clip for 'Way Back When' that they filmed in an industrial area of their home town, Williamstown.
"The video imagines a classic '60s, '70s movie car chase, ala 'Bullitt', though what if cars were people too?
"We hired some big, strong men from the Melbourne Actors Facebook group to carry us around all day; I don't think one of them read the treatment before the day of the shoot: "You want me to do WHAT?'"
Here, Mike shares five of his favourite albums that have shaped the sound of UFO Go.
Weezer - 'Pinkerton'
Weezer's 'Pinkerton' is the absolute height of bravery in alternative rock music – for a follow up to a power-pop powerhouse to not only admit to every desire, ugly thought and terrible decision with complete unfiltered honesty.Its production is also completely unique and essential to making the album work, unafraid of sounding raw, unrehearsed, and completely human.
Muse – 'Origin Of Symmetry'
This was my first introduction to rock music that was more than just power chords and blues scales. To combine Rachmaninoff-esque piano pieces with blistering RATM riffs, delivered as stadium-rock sing-along anthems was a completely unique invention for me.It greatly impacted my desire to make music that was not only interesting and complex, but accessible and fun as well.
Paramore - 'Brand New Eyes'
I wasn't sure of the direction I wanted to take our music after our last album, and I had anticipated that I would want to go more electronic and more experimental, but this album reminded me how much I love emo, alt-rock music.Hayley's incredible soaring vocals and lyricism, the insane drum work, and the heavy distorted riffs reminded me why I first learned guitar, to write music that was emotional, heavy, and exciting.
Gorillaz - 'Plastic Beach'
I feel like 'Plastic Beach' is pretty universally beloved as Gorillaz best album (maybe in competition with 'Demon Days').The production is just phenomenal, using old-school synth sounds and drum machines, combined with the guitars, the bass, the drums, is so unbelievably fun to listen to, combined with stellar vocal hooks from both Albarn and the litany of features. It speaks for itself, it's an album that's just undeniable.
Dear And The Headlights - 'Small Steps, Heavy Hooves'
This is one of the greatest pieces of lyricism I've ever heard, and barely anyone has heard it. It's so incredibly honest, clever, sad, happy, lonely, nostalgic, worried.Really there's not much to say except that you should listen to it, but not if you're having a good day.
UFO GO launch their new single with a matinee performance at The Workers Club (Melbourne) 26 November.
"We'll be playing most of the songs off our new album, 'May Fear Never Stop You', at the single launch.
"We've developed a set that delivers the experience of the album with interstitial tracks that expand on the themes of the songs, with spoken word segments written alongside the lyrics of the album, and a programmed lighting show to match."
