LISTEN TO THIS: UME “Black Stone” - FREE DOWNLOAD

If you haven’t heard of the Austin rock band Ume, don’t despair. It’s ok…until now. You’ll soon have no excuse, as you’re just a few clicks away from discovering why Ume is truly one of those one in 100k bands that you need to just stop whatever it is that you’re doing and listen to “Black Stone” from their upcoming album. Please proceed…

If you weren’t hypnotized by the razor-sharp haze of melodic distortions that resonate from this genre-bending trio consisting of Lauren Larson (Vocals, Guitar), Eric Larson (Bass), and Rachel Fuhrer (Drums) then you really need to get your hearing checked or rethink your musical tastes. Ume is a true rarity with the ability to mix the raw energy of an alternative rock garage band with post-punk undertones, beautifully interspersed with gnarly, hard-core metal guitar riffs with a touch of pop thrown in like a cherry on top just for fun. Quite an undertaking indeed!

Let’s face it, there are all of the right ingredients for the makings of a momentous cluster F*#K of a sound in trying to mix all of those genres. Many have tried…none have succeeded - until now. Ume manages to spin it all into one psychedelic trip of rich, artful melodies and deep lyrics. They own this sound and that is what make them one of the most unique bands out there today. We could throw out a bunch of ”kind of sounds like…” comparisons, but we refuse to do so because Ume is truly one of a kind.

Photo by Bryan Boudreaux

Who else thinks that Ume rocks? Well, their upcoming sophomore album (as yet untitled) that is due out in early 2014 on Dangerbird Records was produced by Grammy® Award winning producer Adam Kasper (Queens of the Stone Age, Nirvana, Foo Fighters, Cat Power). You just don’t get a producer of that calibre to work with you unless you have major potential and musical cred. We can’t wait to hear what Ume have cooked up as a follow up to their debut album, Phantoms. With ”Black Stone” as the lead off single, there is surely a plethora of magic to come.

Ume have relentlessly busted-ass to win over audiences and gain fans across the country with their high-energy live shows, touring almost non-stop supporting such bands as And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead, Warpaint, The Smashing Pumpkins, Franz Ferdinand, Helmet, and Cursive. One extremely cool “standout thing” that’s happened along the way is that Ume were personally invited to open for Jane’s Addiction at a Lollapalooza after-party by Perry Ferrell last year. Well played Ume…well played.

If you’re lucky enough to be in Ume’s hometown of Austin, TX tomorrow night (Friday, December 13th), they will be performing at the for 101X Indie Workforce Xmas with Cage The Elephant and J Roddy Walston & The Business.

Ume is one of those bands poised with perfect succinct on the edge of the cliff of greatness and will undoubtedly be leaping off into the great abyss of stardom that surely awaits them in 2014. We can see it, most other major publications have seen it, their label sees it, their management/pr teams sees it - and now hopefully, you see it too.

In the meantime, download “Black Stone” and connect with them at the links below!