A Quick Chat With Ungus Ungus Ungus
Ungus Ungus Ungus invite listeners into The Fun House, a wildly unpredictable seventh album that twists circus folk, psychedelic dub, hip hop, electro swing, drum and bass, and ambient sounds into one colourful carnival ride. The Naarm-centred musical contortionists embrace the peaks, valleys, pleasures, and vulnerabilities of life across a record that refuses to sit still, moving from theatrical frenzy to deep grooves. Featuring guest appearances from Flash Poetry and FemCee, The Fun House captures the playful chaos at the heart of Ungus Ungus Ungus while staying firmly focused on what they do best: making inventive music built to move a crowd. We caught up with the band to talk about the album, their genre-bending approach, and more.
‘The Fun House’ is your seventh studio album. What feels different about this record compared with what you’ve made before?
Making this many albums has taught us alot... we didn't compromise on this one, especially towards the end when signing off on final mixes and so on. We went hard on the perfectionism! It's also a mix of the fully live band sounds and more electronic production in a way that we haven't done before, a proper journey for the listener as it transforms from start to finish and goes through so many styles.
The album jumps through everything from freak folk and psychedelic dub to electro swing, drum and bass and ambient music. How do you make those stylistic turns still feel distinctly Ungus Ungus Ungus?
Stylistic turns are in themselves very Ungus Ungus Ungus. There is a carnivalesque thread that runs through everything and ties it together, it sounds a bit like brass and organs.
Where did the idea of ‘The Fun House’ come from, and when did you realise it could become the thread connecting the album?
Just like the funhouse of an amusement park, it's a space you explore that is full of weirdness and surprises, possibly freaks, maybe even some horrors, but ultimately a fun and reality bending experience.
There are some pretty big ideas running through the record, from vulnerability and lost love to movement, food and new beginnings. How did those themes find their way into the songs?
There was some key inspiration taken from a Californian health guru called Paul Chek who has an idea called the 4 Doctors which are Dr Diet, Dr Movement, Dr Quiet, and Dr Happiness. We made a song for each of these, but then a bunch more songs tagged along for the ride.
With members based across three states, what does the writing and recording process look like for the band these days?
Max comes up with the primary concepts and does most of the composition and production, and then opportunistically records band members one by one over an extended period. The songs come together very gradually this way rather than being fully finished and then recorded in a day or two. It's all very DIY using our home studios, and we only outsource the final mix and master once everything is finished.
Which track on the album changed the most between its original idea and the finished version?
Poltergeist was originally intended to be a different band, as our friend heard them playing it in a dream before it was ever out in the world. Many years later she gave it to us and we Ungus-afied it.
Flash Poetry and FemCee both appear on the record. What did they bring to their respective tracks?
We met Nico aka Flash Poetry at an event we hosted when the album was pretty much finished, he got in at the very last moment. He really elevated a track that was an instrumental B-Side and turned it into something much more profound. FemCee is a legend of both fitness and rapping so we knew she had to be involved in Move which was the song about movement and exercise.
Ungus Ungus Ungus has always had a strong live identity. How much are you thinking about the dancefloor and live show when you're creating new music?
Constantly. No chair in the studio. Dancing to the music while you make it is the way to go.
After seven albums, what still excites you about pushing into new sounds and genres together?
We have a continually evolving cast of characters contributing to so we keep getting new personalities, sounds, and instruments involved. Music is ultimately a social exercise when you make it in an ensemble and bringing in different people is one of the most fun things about that.
Who are some Australian artists making strange, adventurous or genre-bending music that people should check out?
We enjoyed playing with DMT Pancake recently.
Fun house, rollercoaster or ghost train?
First the rollercoaster, then the ghost train, finish with the fun house.
What can people expect when you bring ‘The Fun House’ to life at Shotkickers on August 29?
Biggest ensemble we've ever performed with, 8-piece band and extra freaks. A bunch of songs we've never played live before. Sheer terror and jubilation.
Album Release Show
Saturday, August 29th - Shotkickers, Thornbury| Tickets
With Gusto Gusto, Trickbox X Flash Poetry
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