May 12, 2024

Skylight Webzine

Online since 2000

New single for the electronic duo of UMMAGMA

3 min read

Indie pop electronic rock duo Ummagmapresent the ‘Caravan’ single, complete with new video, along with a special B-side ‘Ty i Ya’. The title track is an invigorating pop rock anthem inspired by the musicians’ own journeys and infused with Carpathian gammas and percussion.

‘Caravan’ is the first single off their new album ‘Compass’, set for release on June 27 via Manchester-based label Leonard Skully Records. This is their third long-play and the duo’s first album in seven years. It is also the first time the band is releasing a record on vinyl.

B-side ‘Ty i Ya’ is a vibe-injected upbeat track, with infectious Daft Punk-esque bassline, which Alexander Kretovcomposed and performs in his native Ukrainian language. This is the first single Ummagma has released in a language other than English, stepping beyond the confines of past songwriting limits.

“Caravan is about a personal journey – one that begins in the mind before any borders have even been crossed,” says Ummagma vocalist Shauna McLarnon. “The trip is so much better when you truly want to be part of it. You map your own destiny in many ways and dreaming is a great place to begin.”

The ‘Compass’ LP is beguiling in its post-genre nature. It is an album of grace and change, of familiarity and exploration, of emotion and euphoria, of sky-scraping cinematic highs and intimate and intriguing lows. This is the sound of a band allowing themselves to jump creative divides, to kick down musical barriers, and rip up the rule book or perhaps just ignore the fact that there ever was one in the first place.

Formed in Moscow in 2003, McLarnon hails from northern Canada while Kretov is originally from western Ukraine. Now based in Peterborough, Ontario, the couple completed this album over the course of five years and multiple moves, ultimately hauling their studio with them across the Atlantic and setting up all over again. With such transience in the real world, how could their sonic world reflect anything other than the same fluidity and movement?

This record follows on the trail of their ‘LCD’ EP with Robin Guthrie (Cocteau Twins) and Dean Garcia (Curve), and ‘Winter Tale’ EP with 4AD dreampop pioneer A.R.Kane. Both of these were released in 2017.

They say you can tell a lot about someone by the company that they keep, and the same holds true for a band. Ummagma’s collaborations speak volumes. Apart from these three dreampop-shoegaze icons, they’ve worked with Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark’s Malcolm Holmes, Swervedriver’s Graham Bonnar, and nudisco kingpin Alexander Robotnick.

Ummagma’s music has always presented an exhilarating positive vision, showcasing their ability to wander diverse musical pathways. Representing Ukraine among 23 countries, they won the Alternative Eurovision on Amazing Radio in 2013, and have been featured in a full-page spread in Rolling Stone Russia. In 2015, their collaborative ‘New Born’ album with Sounds of Sputnik also received a Jagermeister indie award, Russia’s most esteemed music award.

Ummagma’s ‘Caravan’ single is now available digitally everywhere, including iTunesAmazon and Spotify. The ‘Compass’ LP is out on June 21 digitally, on black vinyl and CD with unique artwork by Alexander Kretov. Like the full album’, the single can also be ordered directly from Ummagma via Bandcamp. UK residents can order vinyl directly from Leonard Skully Records.

CREDITS
All songs written and performed by Ummagma
Music and arrangement by Alexander Kretov and Shauna McLarnon
Lyrics and vocals by Alexander Kretov and Shauna McLarnon
Produced, recorded, mixed and mastered by Alexander Kretov at Ummagma Studio
Publicity by Shameless Promotion PR
Cover design and artwork by Alexander Kretov at Ummagma Studio

‘Caravan’https://youtu.be/6kc9ts8NPuE
Bandcamp https://ummagma.bandcamp.com/album/caravan
Spotify https://open.spotify.com/album/37uoQ1hLBdb7lCSiCj9W7P
iTunes https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/caravan-single/1460526110
Soundcloudhttps://soundcloud.com/ummagma/sets/compass-single
‘Compass’ LP order (all formats)http://ummagma.bandcamp.com/album/compass
UK vinyl ordershttp://11stsq.com/product/compass-lp-pre-order
Galacticonhttps://youtu.be/fbPYm-O6IGc
Lama (Robin Guthrie Mix)https://youtu.be/Gk0tuoIgWX0

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