This year saw the completion of USS’s second album, ‘To the Wolves’, a truly homegrown record.
The album is a departure from the bands debut, the critically acclaimed ‘Start/Stop’. Whilst gaining the band well-deserved attention, it took years to make and involved a multitude of players. ‘To the Wolves’ brought a more focused approach and has produced a far more honest piece of work, seeing the band come of age.
USS felt that self-sufficiency was crucial to creating the coherent, emotive record they desired. ‘To the Wolves’ was written, rehearsed, recorded and mixed with this in mind. The writing process remains centered around Edd Simpson’s natural feel for lyrics and melody, with added instrumentation in the shape of Steve James on piano and Alex Priest on cello. This has inevitably opened up possibilities for greater depth, complexity and subtlety in the arrangements. The intricate textures allow a huge dynamic scope that’s woven throughout the record.
‘To the Wolves’ was recorded and mixed in a custom-made studio by guitarist Dan Best. Dan’s mindset when producing the record was to invite the listener into the space in which the music was written and recorded. The emphasis on capturing a sound that enables each instrument to best fulfill its role within the arrangement and capturing the sound of the room itself. The listener can share the space in which the record was made.