Remember when the radio stations were all playing that upbeat, edgy, rock pop that produced such earworms as “3am” by Matchbox 20 and “Slide” by The Goo Goo Dolls? There was this era from the late 90s through the early 2000s that the airwaves were saturated with a sharp, saccharine edge. Songs like this dominate my winter playlists (anything to push back that nasty, sniffly, seasonal depression, right?)
Multi-Ultra’s latest single, “Uptight” fits right into this category.
“Uptight” is riffy right out of the gate, with a sweet infectious melody that is bright and high energy. Think Neon Trees or the Killers. It’s right in there. It rides the pop/rock line flawlessly, incorporating a retro flair that gives the single a warm, welcoming vibe. It’s like auditory comfort food for early 2000’s alt kids.
Give ‘em some indie alt pop! Bitches love indie alt pop! (It’s me, I’m bitches.)
Maybe the song feels so natural and comfortable because it is.
This isn’t Muti-Ultra’s first rodeo.
The core of Multi-Ultra is Derrick Wesley and Nolan Brown, and the pair are no strangers to working together. Fan’s of the duo’s earlier project Sweet Fever should immediately recognize Wesley’s powerhouse pop vocals. The explosive kinetic energy is certainly something they’ve carried over from that project, and the aural lineage is easy to track in “Uptight”. Nolan and Derrick have been putting in the work together for a while now, and that devotion to the craft shines through in “Uptight.”
If your shoulders are tense, your coworkers suck, or you’re just having an outright “no bones day (or week or month or even year) “ dime out your stereo and throw on “Uptight”. It might just un-grumpify your day.