Ultra Sunn have been active in the world of dark electronic music for some years now. Since their debut single Night Is Mine, in 2019, the Belgian duo made up of Sam Huge and Gaelle Souflet had released a myriad of singles and two EPs (re-Night is Mine and Body Electric in 2021) but not yet a full album. Now they've done it with their US album, which is both the band's initials and a rallying pronoun. We're curious to hear it: the band quickly demonstrated their ability to reuse the rhythms of their native country's emblematic EBM scene, but in atmospheres that differ from the martial tone of Front 242.
More than a change of format, US is a real qualitative leap for the band. The vigorous, repetitive drum machine we've come to love on their previous work is back, but the synthesiser layers are more polished than in the past; less cold than nostalgic, they fit in perfectly with the pounding of the drum machine and the few noisy sounds the album is peppered with, letting them unfold to make us dance in a dark atmosphere, sometimes announcing their explosion at length. Sam Huge's vocals are more prominent and, above all, have clearly found their way away from the clichés of EBM: deep and assured, they blossom with reverberation effects borrowed from post-punk and gothic rock.
The album's nine tracks are a pleasure to listen to, combining refreshment with echoes of a beloved past. Among them, we quickly fall in love with the excellent intro Broken Monsters, not far from a darkened Depeche Mode, and even more with Lost and Found for its melody and retro sounds. The biggest surprise, however, comes from the final track, The House, which is entirely instrumental and much less danceable than the rest of the album, built on a slow progression through a sombre atmosphere; we also appreciate this other unexpected facet of Ultra Sunn, which brings a pleasant end to a decidedly enjoyable record.
