Get Yourself A Friend

Opening double-shot 'Pupkin' and 'It's Permanent' soar to the heights of Ultra Q's powers in much different ways; the former a black-clad romp through a rainy graveyard, the former pushing straight to the clouds with its soaring chorus. 'Straight Jacket' veers pleasantly close to the jangle-pop of the Go-Betweens. 'Bowman' features guitars like cats getting into a scratch-fight while an astoundingly metronomic drumbeat is played live rather than punched out on a beat pad. Closing the EP is its title track, an affecting end credits anthem full of nostalgia and a twinge of regret. As a whole, 'Get Yourself a Friend' marks the synthesis of a songwriter's vision and his band's ability, forged through an invisible existential threat and an ever-changing world, eager to show what they've found while we were all inside.