Kult Kyss On Their Long-Awaited Debut EP, ‘Ultra Sound’
The Melbourne duo have created one of the best electronic records of 2021.
“Ultra Sound is a sonic journey through our hearts and minds,” write Melbourne’s Kult Kyss about their absorbing debut EP. “In creating the EP we wanted to explore all aspects of our identity as artists, traversing between vibrant euphoria, dark introspection and dreamy nostalgia, immersing listeners in an expansive and multifaceted world.”
The EP has been a long time coming: the duo, comprised of members Rromarin and Haxx, have been steadily releasing some of Australia’s most interesting electronic music since they formed in 2016. A head-turning performance on ABC show The Set in 2018 earned them mainstream attention, and since then they’ve shared stages with some of the country’s biggest acts.
But until now, an official debut eluded them. Ultra Sound sees them team up with a few very talented mates — including in-demand producer LUCIANBLOMKAMP, Motez, I Know Leopard, and BRUX. The resulting EP is endlessly arresting, straddling the nostalgic and the futuristic.
We asked the duo to dive into the record piece-by-piece for us, sketching out the story of glittering mosaic of a record. Get stuck in.
‘Blood Up’
‘Blood Up’ was created at a time when the future felt its most uncertain, in the midst of BLM protests and the start of the global pandemic. The world felt like it was burning down around us, with the fight for change being juxtaposed against the suffocating backdrop of COVID19. Lyrically, ‘Blood Up’ explores this moment in time, while also reflecting on generations of humans uniting and fighting throughout history.
Interestingly enough, the original instrumental to which the vocals were written ended up becoming the music for our single ‘Kill That Beat’. We then took the vocals for ‘Blood Up’ and arranged a new instrumental around them, after which everything flowed and came together quickly and organically.
Sonically inspired by Queen, we wanted to try having the same explosive, powerful vocals that dominate to direct the mix and arrangement. With this in mind the track starts with a minimal, atmospheric instrumental, with a vocal-heavy soundscape that builds in intensity to erupt into the drop. For this reason we felt it would be the perfect introduction to the EP.
‘So Alive’
At a time when things felt incredibly limited, ‘So Alive’ was born. The experience of being in lockdown forced us to shift our perspectives from constantly looking towards the future to living fully in the present. ‘So Alive’ is inspired by this, and explores the magic and beauty that can be found in living in the moment, day by day.
In creating the track we wanted to pay homage to early 90s dance music, incorporating dusty sampled breaks with euphoric synths and a simple, mantra-like vocal hook. We were also fortunate enough to work with our friend LUCIANBLOMKAMP on additional production, who helped bring his signature gritty 2-step sound to the track.
The process of working with Lucian (as with all of our collaborators on the EP) was really organic and fun. He brought his laptop over one day and remixed a new beat for ‘So Alive’ from scratch, after which we took his parts and incorporated them back into our original arrangement, creating what we felt was a cool hybrid. Lucian has a fearless approach to beatmaking and we think that you can hear this in the finished track.
‘Sugar Pill’
‘Sugar Pill’ holds a special place in our hearts as we wrote the vocal hook a few years ago, and have been waiting for the right moment to revisit the idea and bring the track to life.
As with ‘So Alive’, in creating the production we were heavily inspired by ’90s dance & garage music, and wanted to juxtapose a simple yet meaningful lyrical hook against gritty breaks & a euphoric guitar lead.
In making ‘Sugar Pill’ we were fortunate to work with our friend Motez, who took things to another level with his addition of icy arps, hooky vocal chops and epic builds and drops. Tez added a Royksopp-esque layer of darkness to the colourful sonic soundscape that we absolutely adore.
Lyrically the song is inspired by the healing power of love, and the profound and positive effect that it has on mental health and anxiety.
‘Familiar’
A dark and driving track, ‘Familiar’ explores the experience of being trapped in a toxic relationship that you cannot resist, and behavioural patterns that repeat over and over again.
The production for this song originally came from a Hii Spirits writing session, but after adding Rromarin’s vocals it ended up fitting into the universe of the Ultra Sound EP.
From a production perspective we wanted to showcase our love for progressive house music, creating a sense of sonic depth that expands before snapping into tight, punchy drops. The vocals cascade upon one another in a huge wash, finding resolution in the kick and bass groove.
‘Melodi’
In creating ‘Melodi’ we were fortunate to collaborate with our friend BRUX, who visited us at our home for a co-writing session in 2019. The day of our session was a special one, not only because we were working with BRUX, but also due to the fact that we had just returned from the Lost Dogs Home with our newly adopted cat, Lodi.
While Lodi explored his new surroundings, the three of us wrote the track that would become ‘Melodi’, named in honour of this significant day. Layering samples from BRUX’s ‘OP-1’ with hooks from our old upright piano, the song was originally written in French before being translated to English 12 months later.
‘Melodi’ was eventually completed long-distance via Zoom, with BRUX adding additional analog synths and her singular vocals to the choruses and second verse. Lyrically and sonically we wanted to create something that was dreamy while upbeat and nostalgic, paying homage to artists such as Yelle, AIR and Rampa.
‘Ghosts’
‘Ghosts’ also holds a special place in our hearts, not only because conceptually it is a track that we’ve always dreamed of creating, but also because we were able to collaborate with our good friends Jenny and Luke of I Know Leopard.
Inspired by artists such as Massive Attack, Radiohead and Fever Ray, we wanted Ghosts to take listeners on a dark and dreamy journey through our souls and into the night. In creating the production we tried to capture this experience, layering brooding piano chords against icy vocals, trip-hop beats and analog synths.
Jenny and Luke took the track to another level with the addition of their incredible string parts, which wrap around the music and elevate the vocals in the most hauntingly beautiful way. It was a humbling experience sending the track to them, only to have the most perfect string arrangement sent back. ‘Ghosts’ was the final song to be finished for the EP and felt like the perfect way to complete the journey.
Ultra Sound is out now via Risqué music. The duo will be touring in early 2022 — check out all dates and details here.