Unknown Mortal Orchestra
"Playing with instrumental pieces and lyrics musing on mortality and humanity, the 14 tracks present a mature and balanced sound. Ruban Nielson’s signature filtered voice glides on a sea of guitar and synths without a crease, always in full control." - Loud and Quiet
"While ‘V’ has the tendency to revisit some familiar ground, it builds a whole world to roam." - DIY
"As ‘V’ unfolds via no less than four instrumentals, the second half is slower, with laidback ballads such as ‘Layla’ and ‘Nadja’ inviting the listener to ruminate along with Nielson. By the end this has the feel of a magnum opus, unrelentingly ambitious with just the right amount of self-indulgence." - NME
Conceived in Palm Springs, California between the dry freeways and the lush coastline of Hilo, Hawaii, V is led by Hawaiian-New Zealand musician Ruban Nielson and draws from the rich traditions of West Coast AOR, classic hits, weirdo pop and Hawaiian Hapa-haole music. With V, UMO's first double album, Nielson reframes and enriches the road that led him to this moment. During the pandemic’s early days, Nielson’s brother Kody flew from New Zealand to Palm Springs to help him with his recordings. One of their Hawaiian uncles began displaying health issues, and Nielson realized he was facing a sharper and more acute sense of mortality. To be with him, he put aside his recordings and helped his mother and another of her brothers move from New Zealand and Portland, respectively, to Hawai'i. He reunited with his brother at his cousin's wedding in Hawai'i and together they traveled back to Palm Springs, where the fourteen singalong anthems, cinematic instrumentals, and mischievous pop songs in V were brought together with the help of his father, Chris Nielson (saxophone/flute), and longstanding UMO member Jake Portrait.
V evokes blue skies, beachside cocktail bars, hotel pools and the darkness that lurks below perfect, pristine surfaces. The desert resort city’s palm tree-lined streets reminded Ruban of a childhood spent playing by hotel swimming pools with his siblings while their entertainer parents performed in showbands across the Pacific and East Asia, and he became aware of the glamorized hedonism he’d internalized since childhood and the darker side of his parents' lifestyle when they were working as entertainers.
“In Hawaii, everything shifted off of me and my music,” Nielson said. “Suddenly, I was spending more time figuring out what others need and what my role is within my family. I also learned that things I thought were true of myself are bigger than I thought. My way of making mischief - that’s not just me - that’s my whole Polynesian side. I thought I was walking away from music to focus on family, but the two ended up connecting.”
