UTALO and the askew punk assemblage and falling abstractions of "Friend"

 

"I meet you after years gone by / you make me see myself..."

The askew punk assemblage and falling abstractions of "Friend" by UTALO, a Bern - Switzerland based post punk artist, feels (to me) like a wonderful distillation of late 70's proto punk, electro punk cut with 90's post punk seeded by future iterations (especially 2000's and beyond) as revisionist post punk. I love the vintage sounding synths with those locked in arpeggios that feel like shading that can be added pretty much anywhere, the counterpoised synth embellishments, the moody and sort of gothic bass guitar lines, the very purposeful, specific machine beats and UTALO's breathy wide eyed yet kind of ghostly vocal countenance. 

Attitudinally, my mind went to the cold wave aesthetic of artists like Austrian late 70's duo ZYX (Trust No Woman) as well as the 2010's post punk atmospheres of Lebanon Hanover and the bleak German synthwave of Future Holograms or a dicey, spicy amalgam of all these kinds of sounds. "Friend" is the kind of off kilter sonic friend you want to have accompanying you into an alternative venue.

LINER NOTES (bracketed):

[In 'Friend,' an old friend appears, sparking the desire to leave behind the monotony of everyday life. Trapped in familiar routines, the longing for freedom grows stronger. 'I will follow, my friend' – hand in hand into a carefree journey. - UTALO] 

-Robb Donker Curtius 

THE FACTS AS WE KNOW THEM 

https://open.spotify.com/artist/30CRf6rxpYgj50JgmjPJ6e

https://utalo.bandcamp.com/

https://www.instagram.com/u.t.a.l.o/

https://www.youtube.com/@u.t.a.l.o



Bern, Switzerland based artist UTALO creates raw and earthy Post-Punk with minimal, pulsing rhythms. Unpolished synth sounds merge with subtle vocals.

UTALO, Bern Switzerland, alt indie, post punk, proto punk, cold wave, indie electronic, abstract, 70's /80's / 90's post punk, "Friend", aloof, mysterious,