Yee-haw ya’ll, Cork’s latest group of mathcore cowboys rustle up plenty of hefty riffs and memorable breakdowns in between all the southern charm. While at first Uncultivates may seem like a cheesy gimmick, there’s plenty of gold to be found in their debut record.
Riding in on a dark stallion comes one of the most intriguing bands to come out of the Irish heavy music scene in many a moon, Uncultivates. In the year since their debut single, word’s got around about this chaotic new four-piece from Cork, fuelled by their live shows alongside acts like Mastiff, Party Cannon and Gamma Bomb. Now with their debut album This Will Become Clear Later, Like The French Revolution, Uncultivates are ready to not only throw down some of the rootin’est, tootin’est riffs this side of the Mississippi but also prove that there’s more to them than the cowboy hats.
After a short intro in which the vocalist known only as Dr. Eli Gravedigger boots in the doors of a bustling saloon to demand the listener’s attention, the album kicks off in earnest with the track ‘I Am Your God Your Father And Your Boss’. While fans of acts like Every Time I Die and ‘68 are sure to find their mix of southern charm and brutal hardcore riffs familiar, Uncultivates waste no time in setting themselves apart, with their opening track the Cork four launch straight into three minutes of choppy beats, country-picked guitars and relentless screams which sounds like nothing you’ve heard before. The road Uncultivates have found themselves on isn’t completely untravelled but few bands ride it with the same erratic pace and unhinged grin they do.
“The road Uncultivates have found themselves on isn’t completely untravelled but few bands ride it with the same erratic pace and unhinged grin they do.”
Although much of This Will Become Clear Later, Like The French Revolution relies heavily on non-stop brutality pistol-whipping the listener with blast beats and distortion, Uncultivates make sure to find some time in their busy schedule for some nuance. The track ‘Oliver’ stands out from the crowd with its steady pace led by a stoner inspired bass and banjo groove while ‘Dread First’ leans more heavily into the band’s southern aesthetic with a bluegrass style riff which, alongside the track’s relentless percussion and screamed vocals wouldn’t sound too out of place on a Show Me The Body record, the album even features an acoustic interlude so weary travellers can catch their breath at the halfway point. Uncultivates wouldn’t ever claim to fit in with the beard-stroking prog crowd but their sound has much more subtlety than might be first apparent.
If there was one song that could sum up the madness of Uncultivates it would be the album’s lead single ‘Flatley’, a rip-roaring tale of Irish-American dancer Michael Flatley and his interdimensional tap dancing told through some of the beefiest riffs the four-piece have unleashed so far. While much of their other work speeds by at the speed of Michael Flatley’s furious feet, the single ‘Flatley’ adopts more of a start and stop guitar groove, leaning into noisy post-hardcore territory rather than the chaotic mathcore of tracks like ‘Every Day I Wake Up On The Bonnet Of A Different Car’. Uncultivates have never claimed to be a serious band but ‘Flatley’ flies so hard into ridiculous and imaginative musical storytelling that it somehow comes back around to being incredibly charming and engaging.
Reaching the end of the long and dusty trail of Uncultivates’ love letter to the American south, the Cork four-piece ride off into the sunset having delivered what is sure to be remembered as one of the year’s most engaging and eclectic albums. With a triumphant “Hi-yo Silver”, This Will Become Clear Later, Like The French Revolution hits like a whip crack and a bullet between the eyes.
“Uncultivates wouldn’t ever claim to fit in with the beard-stroking prog crowd but their sound has much more subtlety than might be first apparent.”