In this interview feature, we get to know the most radicalist up and coming stars on the planet.    

This time we speak with fuzzy, lo-fi experimentalists Ulrika Spacek.

Born in Berlin by childhood friends Rhys Edwards (guitar/vocals) and Rhys Williams (guitar) before relocating to East London and acquiring the talents of Joe Stone (guitar/keyboards), Ben White (bass) and Callum Brown (drums), Ulrika Spacek have proved themselves one of the most exhilarating underground guitar bands in recent years, making modern and deeply immersive swathes of sound.

Indeed, this rising 5-piece’s output might loosely be labelled krautrock or psychedelia, but it journeys much further afield than such restrictive labels allow. Where other bands have embarked on (perhaps) more well-trodden and kaleidoscopically colourful avenues of psychedelia, Ulrika Spacek have deviated from this convention entirely, preferring to focus in on their own distinctly monochrome interpretation of the genre, and the results are both unexpectedly, and undeniably, richer for this commitment.

Having turned heads in 2016 with their hypnotic full-length debut The Album Paranoia, Ulrika Spacek have returned (without a moment’s hesitation) bearing a most remarkable follow-up. Modern English Decoration builds on the frenzied guitars and delirious falsetto of The Album Paranoia but as Edwards has previously posited, Modern English Decoration is more of a “5am” companion to its “1am” predecessor. Grooves are elongated, phrases extended and all aspects are generally blown out much further, resulting in a multifaceted undulating wave of sound. And let us tell you, when the drone hits, you never want to let it go.

We caught up with frontman Rhys Edwards to discuss the process, atmosphere and inspiration surrounding the new record…

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TMR: Modern English Decoration is a totally immersive listening experience but we’re curious to learn about your experience of making it. Can you describe the atmosphere and process of writing/developing/recording ‘Mimi Pretend’ for example?

It was the first song we worked on so there were a lot of ideas going back and forth. Continuing on from the debut record we wanted this album to ease in and find its own 'groove' with inverted commas. The record was recorded in the living room and most of the lyrics are set in there, so I hope there’s an atmosphere deeply set in the record.

TMR: A lot of your songs thrive on a persistent drone that runs throughout. What is it about a drone that is so attractive to you?

I like how you can veer off but the drone keeps things moving forward. We use them in parts where we want to be at our most hypnotic I guess.

TMR: What are some of the non-musical inspirations and revelations which found their way into the record?

The work of artist Ray Johnson influenced the album artwork aesthetic. He was a relatively recent discovery. I had also recently read The Sun Also Rises by Hemingway when working on the lyrics, the last line of that book and the album are similar.



TMR: Your sound is very underground. Much is made of your DIY aesthetic (and this is definitely part of Ulrika Spacek’s appeal) but we suspect your songs could also translate into other aesthetic arrangements. Could you ever imagine going into a studio and recording an album in that kind of space assuming it could all be done of your own terms?

Yes, I think we have made two albums from home now. And we will now experiment in recording in different spaces. On our own terms of course. We know the sound of that living room inside out and it’s the sound of the first two records. We are really wary of being put in a ‘time is money’ scenario though, we are going to feel it out.

TMR: What’s your favourite Ulrika Spacek song and why?

I think that changes, currently we are fond of a song called 'Ornament' that we put on to the secret 7” that came with the record. We were really pleased to start adding songs to our discography that slip in between releases. We have never played it live but would be nice to put it into sets every once in a while.

TMR: You’ve toured quite a lot around Europe and the UK. What’s been your favourite experience on the road?

I would say the experience of touring Europe really. It’s something we don’t take for granted, you can’t really do it unless you have an audience out there who get tickets to come see you live. We love arriving in a venue and making it look different to what it usually looks like. It’s an extension of creating your own little world and taking it to a different city every night.



TMR: We’re all about supporting emerging artists, so we were wondering if you could tell us a bit about your Oysterland events and if you have any plans for another?

Oysterland is a night we started when we were first started playing live. We curate the shows ourselves and have exhibitions included in the night. For us it was important to celebrate stuff around us that we liked. Some of the bands we had play with us were Syd Kemp, the Psychic Markers and JC Flowers. We put on photography exhibitions from Angelica Elliott, Anya Broido and Thomas Davies, and exhibited the work of Jacopo Dal Bello. The most recent one we did was a collaboration with Sara Shishkova in which our heartbeats activated light bulbs as we played, that was fun and hope to do that again. I think we will do another Oysterland in London but the next time will probably be in another city.

TMR: If you could curate an ideal environment to experience your music, where would it be?

In a white box with us playing in the middle with projectors displaying the surrounding walls, showing distorted camera images of us playing in real time. It’s something we want to do soon.

TMR: Are there any up-and-coming artists or bands you’re really enjoying lately? 

Mush, the Psychic Markers, Syd Kemp, Löd.

TMR: What does the rest of 2017 hold for you? 

We will finish this summer playing festivals then are doing a UK/European tour then are going to France to do some recording.



Modern English Decoration is out now via Tough Love Records. Catch Ulrika Spacek on tour throughout the year.

-Karl Jawara