It has been a while since we had a regional noise rock band on our pages, but things are about the change with today’s pick. UDAV is a Croatian quartet emanating from Pula, and they have been roaming the scene for more than a decade and a half now. Today, I’ll be talking about their self-titled EP, released firstly on CD via Slušaj Najglasnije in 2011, then unleashed digitally via Crime Scene Records in 2013. Recently, the album went through a reissuing process, so now it’s available on vinyl via Slušaj Najglasnije. The vinyl edition offers hefty standard black vinyl and sleeve including original artwork while the insert is excluded, but it’s not like you’ll need one since all the info about this EP is stacked on the back side of the sleeve. It’s also good to mention that the band also has “Creepy New Career,” an official full-length album released in 2022, so if you’re looking for more recent works, you should immediately check out that one on No Profit Records. Sonically, UDAV explores the fundamental elements of noise rock music, so if this music genre is close to your heart, this incredible band will immediately be right up your alley. Still, don’t be surprised if you stumble upon some of the significant properties of a couple of complementary styles like post-hardcore or post-punk, because the band threw hints of these genres here and there. Of course, these additional styles act as more than necessary enhancements, accentuations, decorations, and other details that elevate this collection of songs to new heights while the band almost solely remains loyal to the primary sonic direction. Therefore, these experimentations with different approaches and complementary styles resulted in marvelous material that will appeal to every true noise rock fan.
UDAV embraces aesthetics of Chicago, New York, and Washington noise rock and post-hardcore scenes with vividly hearable nods to UK post-punk sounds. Their sound can be best described as an amalgamation of Big Black, Shellac, Big’n, Unwound, Unsane, City Of Caterpillar, Gang Of Four, etc. Still, there’s even more chaos, disharmony, and anger packed in these songs. This thick layer of rawness, grittiness, and abrasiveness lurks around and flawlessly complements UDAV’s furious energy. The band achieved this by stacking their song with generous servings of distortion, creating a colossal wall of sound that tastefully wraps around those tasty riffs and chord progressions. Still, there are those high-pitched chord progressions, regularly heard or seen in Gang Of Four’s music. The “Entertainment” era comes to mind first, yet UDAV employs this crunchy, crystalline, high-pitched sonic maneuvers during particular segments or songs while simultaneously maintaining that luxuriant abrasiveness. Sometimes entirely uniform, sometimes completely chaotic, these guitar works work to the advantage of the entire material, constructing a chaotic, relentless, aggressive, noisy atmosphere that grabs you by the collar and refuses to let go long after this EP ends. In the meantime, the vocals continuously levitate between screams, shouts, and distorted or clean harmonies, complementing the backdrop grafted by guitars. The vocal performance is equally fierce, raw, aggressive, and powerful, employing all these qualities for the sake of the current mood and situation. At times calm but more often feral, the vocalist navigates the complexities of UDAV’s songs with his mindblowing presence that will satisfy even the pickiest music enthusiasts. The soulfulness, passion, sincerity, confidence, emotion, power, and aggression shine from every vocal maneuver, emphasizing everything these experienced musicians intended to achieve.
Beneath all these vocal and guitar acrobatics lies rock-solid bass playing. This often underrated but important instrument provides more heaviness, clarity, and depth through equally intricate, vividly hearable, warm-sounding tones. These low-ends are luxuriant, deep, dense, and heavy, providing more power and detail to already intricate song structures. Paired with exceptional drumming, they serve as a backbone that holds all these songs together while dictating groove and tempo. The entire amalgam of beats, breaks, fills, and other percussive acrobatics is solely responsible for the dynamic output of the entire EP. Besides regular noise rock, post-hardcore, and post-punk rhythmic patterns, you’ll hear how the highly skilled drummer employs blastbeats and tribalistic patterns in the particular compositions. Each vocal, sonic, and rhythmic maneuver has its place and purpose in this sonic equation, making this self-titled such an epic material worth spinning over and over again. UDAV poured heart and soul into their debut, and with this vinyl reissue on Slušaj Naglasnije, it sounds better than ever. Therefore, check out UDAV’s social media pages or head to your local record store and grab this noise rock gem. You won’t be disappointed!
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