Mar 14, 2023

By Caleb Campbell

Photography by Jakob Armstrong

Later this year, Oakland-based alt rock outfit Ultra Q is set to return with their forthcoming debut LP, My Guardian Angel, out June 9th via Royal Mountain Records. The band’s full-length debut acts as a melting pot of influences from the alt rock world, melding glitchy and electronic textures, driving ‘00s indie rock guitars, new wave synth beds.

The band has teased the record with their lead single, “I Watched Them Go,” and followed in January of this year with their latest track, “VR Sex.” Today, they’re back with a new single, “Klepto,” along with an accompanying video.

“Klepto” leans into the careening energy of punk and garage rock, centering on an intricate rhythm section driven by propulsive basslines and nervy drum machines. Dueling indie guitar textures weave in and out of the track, enlacing into a tapestry of sharp melodies above beds of glassy synth tones. Meanwhile, frontman Jakob Armstrong delivers a magnetic vocal performance, sounding only a hint away from his father, Billie Joe Armstrong. Yet, this track sounds much closer to the Strokes or Interpol than Green Day, with the band locking into a danceable groove and layering on shades of bittersweet romanticism.

Armstrong explains of the track, “This was one of my favorite songs to make. “Klepto” was an older track that we resurfaced for the album. When I was making those older demos, I was really into some Eastern European post punk bands. The demo I made was drowned in reverb and the drum machines sounded industrial. I view this track as my jumping off point for the whole record, it’s the emotional thesis. I wrote it soon after several large traumatic events had occurred in my life and having something to work on was very therapeutic. I think this song became a sort of anchor for me. It defined the place where this record came from and glued everything together.”

Check out the track below. My Guardian Angel is out everywhere on June 9th via Royal Mountain Records.