The Uptights

The Uptights are three not so young boys adhering to a strict dress code and a lo-fi approach to recordning music.

Bra Trommis (Radio Nova)
The Uptights er noe så sjeldent som et originalt band.

The Needle Drop
I find this latest album from the Uptights kind of alluring. It doesn’t just sound like a band with a crummy recording. Rather, it sounds like these guys have an appreciation for noise, soundscapes, and drones–as well as rock and pop, of course. A lot of the songs are short of breath, but they last long enough to remind me of albums in a similar vein. Women’s self-titled debut is definitely one that comes to mind.

Lukinzine (7/10)
Nästan helt perfekt defekt.

Collective Zine
Extremely lo-fi recorded songs that touch on folk (think early Woods recordings), laid-back indie (think Le Corbeau), jangly noise pop, all tied together with a couple short drone/noise pieces.

The Up-Turn
8th place, best releases of 2011 (PK’s list)
At just over 20 minutes, At the Wörthersee Hotel is the shortest album on this list and its brevity is what makes it such a strong listen. Taking influence from more recent lo-fi bands and 80s punk-rock, The Uptights have an infectious style that is hard to stop listening to. Through the album’s course, the band blows through punk tracks like «Norris Wallpaper Inc» and pop tunes like «Hairdresser» in under two-minutes each while still managing to make some of my favorite tracks from this year. I also give credit to The Uptights for releasing the only album on my top 10 which I don’t know how to properly pronounce.

Built On A Weak Spot
«It happens to be a pretty nifty little cassette. The band brings together a nice pallet of sounds here to experiment with their offering of lo-fi post-punk, ranging from flat out noise to soothing drones at times. While the distant and echoing melodies seem to create a bit of a dreariness to their sound, they also successfully hit upon something that sounds classic in a way, triggering a sense of heavy nostalgia. It’s an element that is far too often forced with music of this nature and its good to hear a band like this that can so successfully make the sounds of the past seem so haunting. »

Ny Musikk Hver Dag
10th place, best Norwegian releases 2011
Støy, støy og atter støy. The Uptights leverer ni herlige spor på sin demotape At The Wörthersee Hotel. De omfavnet meg på første gjennomlytting med sin klang, støy og lo-fi estetikk. The Uptights får utvilsomt tiende plass på min liste.

Rockfreaks.net (7/10)
«This trio from Oslo, Norway, are throwing the listener back to the days of extremely lo-fi indie music, but they do so with a lot of sincerity, and that’s ultimately why “At The Wörthersee Hotel” works. It’s endearing enough to be enjoyable to listen to, and it’s just the right amount of unclear that keeps you coming back for more. It’s noisy, reckless, needlessly obscure, but that’s the fun!»