- I love the duality of Australian music. We champion sunny, indie pop acts as international exports whilst quietly nurturing a culture of fringe experimentalists. As you can probably guess, Melbourne based Uboa is one of the latter. Better known as Xandra Meltcalfe, she's quite literally been making noise in the alt-electronic scene for almost a decade now. New Releases Show mastermind Chris Cobcroft previously praised her stomach-churning collaboration with Melbourne rockers Bolt Gun, and now she's at it again with The Absolute. Like-minded producer Solus Varak joins for the curt 5 track offering to hone Uboa's dark and droning tendencies into something seriously sinister.

Absolute's atmosphere is unsettling, to say the least. The pair offer meditations on isolation and grief, contrasting emotionally charged bouts of thick drone with violent outbursts of abrasive intensity. Ominously titled opener The Surgery is deceivingly serene, framing Xandra's vocals with ethereal ambience before they're engulfed in noise. Other cuts follow suit, often perched on a knife edge between melodrama and rage.

Noise artists are known for being prolific and Uboa is no exception. Her official catalogue spans multiple labels and a constant stream of offcuts populate her Soundcloud and Patreon feeds. Compared to previous efforts, Absolute sacrifices immediacy to hone in on the more somber aspects of Xandra's craft. From front to back, the sound design is world class, expertly interlacing glitch-heavy feedback blasts against an ever-evolving backdrop of bottomless harmonics. Ice Floes demonstrates impressive dynamics in its short runtime as metallic clangs emerge from a menacing and ghostly hum. It's nothing Uboa hasn't played with before, but her technical consistency is undeniable.

My main point of contention is with Xandra's vocals, surely a confronting element for most listeners. Tortured screams are a staple of industrial music and Absolute has them in spades. It's clear her delivery comes from an honest place, emotionally, but moments like the back end of Plastics see them hampering my enjoyment of the highly refined noise by sounding almost too raw in comparison. Saying that, the record's longest cut, Catheter, is its obvious standout. The piece develops a lush, textured, and almost nauseating backdrop to Uboa's gutteral roars which finish things off. It's expertly crafted to the point of being physically affecting, and a clear demonstration of the duo's immense talents.

All in all, you probably know if this record is for you. The Absolute is far from a pleasant listen, but left me feeling impressively disturbed. Uboa continues to be a frontrunner for Australia's grimy noise scene and this latest project proves she's worthy of attention.

- Boddhi Farmer.