Review: "Kitchen Sink Dramas" EP by Ultra_eko
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Darkened atmospherics add to the tension filled flows of Ultra_eko’s “Kitchen Sink Dramas” EP. Incredible storytelling explores the inherent imbalances that define the world at large. Nor is he adverse to incorporating a wide range of stylistic choices into the mix.
Electroclash, industrial, ambient, folk, all of this is anchored by the framing structure of trap and hip-hop. The balance achieved further adds to the journey-like approach of the entire work. Ultra_eko’s lyrics have a sharp insight as they convey a sense of loss, one of urgency, and a call to action. Such attention to these narratives as they chose a sweeping scope feels truly stately.
On “Kitchen Sink Dramas”, Ultra_eko opts for a highly personal take with his work while highlighting the overall injustices inherent within society at large. His critiques of capitalism, the “one or two disasters away from sheer awfulness”, focus upon some of the same material as Kendrick Lamar’s earlier works. For the overall method to the sound itself, he refuses to be pigeonholed at all. Going from a creepy ambiance to something akin to almost noise at times has a Death Grips nimbleness to it. Unlike that outfit however, his approach is not one of pure, unbridled rage but something considerably more thought-out and contemplative.
There are small flourishes for the open “The Seventh Day” which sets the tone for what follows. Tender piano softens the blow of the bleak “Six Numbers”. Here Ultra_eko expresses the sadness of what it means to work oneself to the bone. Lots of the isolation that comes with modernity, the hopelessness is described in vivid detail.
By far the highlight of the EP comes from the literary references of “King of the Wild Things”. Layer upon layer intermingles on the vivid “Soul’s Code” where the melody has a tremendous richness to it. Woozy, haunted nostalgia runs through the eerie “Run Away” with an arrangement that oozes unease, a surreal scope that references Boards of Canada’s more recent, heavier work. Bringing this all to a gorgeous conclusion is the heightened dramatics of “Twisted”.
“Kitchen Sink Dramas” is a resounding success, showing off Ultra_eko’s unique rapping ability, and one that shines the light on his wild, unhinged rhymes.