Moderate Rock

This, the debut effort from Ultimate Overshare, starts in the way most other indie rock records end- a big, raucous riff, wailing lead guitar, and arms-in-the-air exuberance. It’s big, ballsy, and beautiful. And it’s not a one-off. Over the subsequent 20-something minutes, the Virginia quintet prove to have a knack for the unexpected. ‘Rumble Pak’ features shimmering reverb swirling around crunching distortion, crisp vocal melodies next to grungy consonant swallowing, power punk, power pop, rubbery soul, and an instrumental track made to make you move. It’s indie rock, sure, but you haven’t heard these songs before. Maybe it’s because the band (erstwhile members of Soul Meets Body, Older Notes and more) is a democracy. There are multiple songwriters here, multiple voices, and multiple vocalists even. It really sounds like no sounds or styles were off the table when the band were writing- the best idea won. The end result never feels piecemeal or forced though, it’s the most coherent thing these dudes have ever done. Unexpectedly good.