Ulrika Spacek formed in Berlin in one night, when 14-year-long friends Rhys Edwards and Rhys Williams conceptualised ‘Ulrika Spacek’ and came up with The Album Paranoia as their debut album title. Moving back to London with the intention to record it, they were joined by Joseph Stone (guitars, organ, synths, violin), Ben White (bass) and Callum Brown (drums, percussion), ossifying into the five-piece they are now. The album was released soon after with little forewarning but no little fanfare, and was accompanied by a year long, near-monthly club night called Oysterland that the band both curated and performed at. Less than 18 months later, the follow up arrives eerily fully formed, somewhat inevitably according to Edwards: "We started making this record as soon as we finished our first. Like our debut, we started with Track One on the album and went from there. Making a batch of songs then ordering them after they’re all finished isn't something we have much interest in.". Shirking the temptations to write ten three-minute singles, a more open and expansive style is preferred. Writing and arranging as they go, the intention is to let the material find its own place in the set, all the while retaining a sense of direction that avoids the pitfalls of self-indulgence.


*****

Holy Wave is a band of multi-instrumentalists from El Paso, Texas, USA. Since making a move to Austin in 2008, they have cemented themselves as a unique force in the national and international touring circuit. After perennial performances at Levitation (Austin Psych Fest) and countless tours and festival appearances in the USA, Europe, Latin America, and Africa, Holy Wave is poised to continue expanding into new spaces and places around the world. The band has 4 critically-acclaimed LPs and 3 EPs (The Reverberation Appreciation Society) under their belt, and will be releasing a digital single through Suicide Squeeze in July 2022. They are currently in the studio working on new material for LP 5.