The Uptights
Oslo, Oslo County, Norway
Music
Press
8.) The Uptights- At the Wörthersee Hotel
At just over 20 minutes, At the Wörthersee Hotel is the shortest album on this list and its brevity is what makes it such a strong listen. Taking influence from more recent lo-fi bands and 80s punk-rock, The Uptights have an infectious style that is hard to stop listening to. Through the album’s course, the band blows through punk tracks like ‘Norris Wallpaper Inc’ and pop tunes like ‘Hairdresser’ in under two-minutes each while still managing to make some of my favorite tracks from this year. I also give credit to The Uptights for releasing the only album on my top 10 which I don’t know how to properly pronounce. - The Up-Turn
10. At the Wörthersee Hotel - The Uptights
Noise, noise, noise. The Uptights deliver nine wonderful tracks on their demo tape At The Wörthersee Hotel. Their sound, noise and lo-fi aesthetics immediately struck a chord with me. Undoubtedly nr.10 on my list.
10. At the Wörthersee Hotel - The Uptights
Støy, støy og atter støy. The Uptights leverer ni herlige spor på sin demotape At The Wörthersee Hotel. De omfavnet meg på første gjennomlytting med sin klang, støy og lo-fi estetikk. The Uptights får utvilsomt tiende plass på min liste. - NY MUSIKK HVER DAG
42. The Uptights - Geraldine - The Up-Turn
"The Uptights are something as rare as an original band"
- Bra Trommis - Bra Trommis - Radio Nova
Interviewed by «Bra Trommis» - an important music show at Radio Nova, Oslo's student radio. - Bra Trommis - Radio Nova
if shoegaze/noise rock/emo sounds like a nice hybrid, chances of you liking this are high. if not, hmm… check it out anyway. this is some delicious lo-fi stuff that washes over you with valour. completely different, utterly compelling. this is only three songs and ten minutes, but in that time The Uptights manage giving us a well-rounded experience. there are twinkly guitars, rough noise parts, an ambient track, jangly vocals, non-jangly vocals, and overall a right mess. but it’s a consistent mess. the mess belongs together. OH, THE MESS. check this out if you like lo-fi messes. - That's Punk
There’s nothing that kills an idea faster than a mindlessly copied trend. I think the idea of “lo-fi bands” qualify.
Still, despite the grimy, rough recordings being spoiled for me a bit, I find this latest album from the Uptights kind of alluring. It doesn’t just sound like a band with a crummy recording. Rather, it sounds like these guys have an appreciation for noise, soundscapes, and drones–as well as rock and pop, of course.
A lot of the songs are short of breath, but they last long enough to remind me of albums in a similar vain. Women’s self-titled debut is definitely one that comes to mind.
Download the entire album in full via the band’s Bandcamp. This album, titled At the Wörthersee Hotel, will also be getting a cassette release via keepsecretrecords in the beginning of October. - The Needle Drop
European noise-rockers, The Uptights, have really killed it with their 2011 release At the Wörthersee Hotel which is just starting to make its rounds through the blogosphere. The Uptights play a dark, messy strain of lo-fi and noise pop that definitely pulls influence from Guided by Voices and punk. At the Wörthersee Hotel is easily one of the most original and realized takes on lo-fi that I’ve heard in a longtime with tracks ranging from ambient/noise to guitar driven pop. Some of my favorite tracks are ‘Hairdresser’, ‘Geraldine’ and ‘Adalbert Schwede’ all showcasing The Uptights enormous talent. The album just passes the 20-minute length and can be streamed below and downloaded for free at their bandcamp. - The Up-Turn
Discography
At the Wörthersee Hotel (2011, keepsecretrecords)
«Geraldine» and «Adalbert Schwede» aired on «Bra Trommis» - an important music show at Radio Nova, Oslo's student radio.
http://radionova.no/artikkel/spilleliste-1710-2011
http://www.radionova.no/artikkel/spilleliste-0711-2011
Also been played on WSPS 90,3 (New Hampshire) in the US. http://theup-turn.com/radio/
Photos
Bio
The Uptights were formed by Øvind Bersvendsen and Andreas W. H. Lindvåg on a cold night in February 2010, after a Japandroids show. Later that evening Andreas struck the first few chords of "Geraldine" and they knew they were onto something. The band had excisted as an idea for a while (the hats, the button-up shirts, the name, the strangeness), but now it became something tangible and exciting. The final pieces fell into place when Andreas Fossheim joined a few months later. "At the Wörthersee Hotel" was recorded during the final months of 2010 at the band's rehearsal space, situated in an old brick warehouse close to Oslo's little river - Akerselva.
The Uptights' characteristic visual expression and sound is a result of an uncanny series of coincidences and combinations. The summer of 2009 Andreas no1 unexpectedly came into possesion of a cassette recorder (bestowed upon him by a seller who wanted to get back at a hard-haggling buyer). Øyvind had bought a polaroid camera off some gypsies around the same time. The second Andreas had just finished graphic designer school upon joining, which gave the band full control of their visuals. He also stumbled upon the title "At the Wörthersee Hotel" in the lyrics to "Norris Wallpaper Inc.", which opened up a wealth of family history, memories and impressions (some true, some ... modified) to Andreas no.1. This strongly coloured songs like "Unfulfilled Promise" and the dictaphone vignettes. A chance encounter with an old friend, Lisa, singing Puccini on a balcony - secretly recorded on dictaphone by Andreas no.1 - led to "Lisa On The Balcony".
It was kind of meant to be.
The Uptights played their first gig alongside shooting stars Deathcrush at a birthday party in 2010. This Christmas they start work on their second tape - "Quit Jazz." The band plans on visiting some Norwegian cities and Berlin (where Andreas no.1 currently lives) in the early months of 2012.
Links
