**Ulrika Spacek, Monde UFO, Mo Dotti** “A living room doesn’t give much natural reverb, and it’s not in our interest to artificially construct it.” Ulrika Spacek return on June 2nd with the release of their second album, Modern English Decoration. Much like their debut album released in early 2016, the band chose to record, produce and mix the entirety of the record in their shared house – a former art gallery called ‘KEN’, so named because of a cryptic inscription found above the front door. Not just a studio and home, KEN is essentially the band’s hub, a space in which the surrounding ephemera of videos, artwork and even band photos are all created. The relatively short amount of time between their first and second albums is testament to the band’s self-contained creative environment and the productivity it encourages. There’s a tendency to label this degree of self-reliant creativity ‘DIY’ - and the band do certainly feel emboldened by that ethos - yet to consider Modern English Decoration solely in these terms is a disservice. Their craft is considered and purposeful, the means of its production reflecting the band’s overall vision rather than the value system of an often haphazard and accidental DIY culture. “We enjoy listening to music through the album format and want our records to reflect that”, says Rhys Edwards (guitars, vocals, synthesiser). “Though we may explore this in the future, our records are not 'jam' records. We’re fans of collage based art, and create music in the same way". Ulrika Spacek formed in Berlin in one night, when 14-year-long friends Rhys Edwards and Rhys Williams conceptualised ‘Ulrika Spacek’ and came up with The Album Paranoia as their debut album title. Moving back to London with the intention to record it, they were joined by Joseph Stone (guitars, organ, synths, violin), Ben White (bass) and Callum Brown (drums, percussion), ossifying into the five-piece they are now. The album was released soon after with little forewarning but no little fanfare, and was accompanied by a year long, near-monthly club night called Oysterland that the band both curated and performed at. Less than 18 months later, the follow up arrives eerily fully formed, somewhat inevitably according to Edwards: "We started making this record as soon as we finished our first. Like our debut, we started with Track One on the album and went from there. Making a batch of songs then ordering them after they’re all finished isn't something we have much interest in.". Shirking the temptations to write ten three-minute singles, a more open and expansive style is preferred. Writing and arranging as they go, the intention is to let the material find its own place in the set, all the while retaining a sense of direction that avoids the pitfalls of self-indulgence. **Mo Dotti** An accomplished work of punk ethereality, Mo Dotti's debut record Opaque (out September 20, 2024) exemplifies the mix of Dinosaur Jr.-esque clamor cut with sweet Sundays-worthy melodies that the Los Angeles four piece have been meticulously crafting over the course of their brief but compelling discography. Building upon the glow-in-the-dark fuzz of 2020’s Blurring EP and the psychedelic pastiche of 2022’s Guided Imagery, Opaque showcases the sound of a band that has figured out how to bend and shape abstract washes of noise in and around memorable pop hooks into songs that reach for the stars. A formidable live band who’ve been tapped to open for groups like beloved Japanese hardcore punks Otoboke Beaver and were invited by shoegazers Nothing to join the line-up of their inaugural Slide Away Festival, Mo Dotti bring the thrill of their live show to Opaque, which has the aggressive, in-the-room feel of Ride’s first four EPs mixed with the lush yet caustic beauty of My Bloody Valentine in their Isn’t Anything era. Through it all shines the essential quality that has always made Mo Dotti stand out in the oversaturated dream pop field: the songs themselves. - Mariana Timony
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