Sister is the second studio album by British experimental rock trio Ultraísta. It was released on 13 March 2020 under Partisan Records.[6] It was released immediately prior to the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic, leading to the album's promotional roll-out, touring, and subsequent interviews being affected.[7]
| Sister | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 13 March 2020 | |||
| Length | 42:33 | |||
| Label | Partisan Records | |||
| Producer | Nigel Godrich | |||
| Ultraísta chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from Sister | ||||
| ||||
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 74/100[1] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [2] |
| Paste | 8.1/10[3] |
| Pitchfork | 6.2/10[4] |
| Under the Radar | 6.5/10[5] |
Release edit
The first single "Tin King" was released on 14 January 2020, with two more singles "Anybody" and "Harmony" following in the coming months.[8][9] "Ordinary Boy" was released as a single in September of 2020 along with a remix EP following on 6 November.[10] An additional extended play, Sister Remix EP, for the album released on 12 March 2021, featuring remixes from Zero 7, Grenda, Portico Quartet, Erland Cooper, and Harvey Causon.[11]
A half-hour short film, entitled Sister, was directed by Nigel Godrich and released featuring the four singles from the album and lead singer Laura Bettinson walking throughout London, with cameos from Godrich and Joey Waronker.[12]
Critical reception edit
Sister was met with generally favourable reviews from critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, this release received an average score of 74, based on 5 reviews.[1]
Track listing edit
All songs are written by Ultraísta.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Tin King" | 3:55 |
| 2. | "Harmony" | 4:41 |
| 3. | "Anybody" | 4:12 |
| 4. | "Save It 'Til Later" | 4:22 |
| 5. | "Ordinary Boy" | 4:50 |
| 6. | "Mariella" | 5:11 |
| 7. | "Water in My Veins" | 5:16 |
| 8. | "Bumblebees" | 5:17 |
| 9. | "The Moon and Mercury" | 4:49 |
Personnel edit
- Laura Bettinson - vocals, synthesizer, songwriting
- Nigel Godrich - production, bass guitar, orchestration, synthesizer, songwriting
- Joey Waronker - drums, percussion, songwriting
Charts edit
| Chart (2020) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Independent Albums (OCC)[13] | 28 |
References edit
- ^ a b "Metacritic Review". Metacritic. Retrieved 19 May 2020.
- ^ Christopher Monger, James. "AllMusic Review". AllMusic. Retrieved 19 May 2020.
- ^ Edelstone, Steven (31 March 2019). "Ultraísta Bring Sophisticated Synth to the Dancefloor on Sister". Paste. Retrieved 19 May 2020.
- ^ Blum, Dani (19 March 2020). "Pitchfork Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved 19 May 2020.
- ^ Von Pip, Andy (15 April 2020). "Under the Radar Review". Under the Radar. Retrieved 19 May 2020.
- ^ Corcoran, Nina (15 January 2020). "Ultraísta announce first album in eight years Sister". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved 19 May 2020.
- ^ "Nigel Godrich says "natural forces" are working against project Ultraísta as second LP drops". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved 16 March 2021.
- ^ Strauss, Matthew (14 January 2020). "Nigel Godrich's Ultraísta Return With New Album and Song". Pitchfork. Retrieved 19 May 2020.
- ^ "Ultraísta preview comeback with new song "Anybody": Stream". Consequence of Sound. 12 February 2020. Retrieved 16 March 2021.
- ^ "ULTRAÍSTA Announce 'Ordinary Boy - The Remixes' EP out 6th November | XS Noize | Online Music Magazine". www.xsnoize.com. 29 September 2020. Retrieved 16 March 2021.
- ^ @ultraistamusic (12 March 2021). "On the 1 year anniversary of our second album 'Sister'…" (Tweet). Archived from the original on 26 January 2022. Retrieved 27 June 2023 – via Twitter.
- ^ "Follow Laura Bettinson's surreal tube journey in Ultraísta short film". NME. 1 April 2020. Retrieved 16 March 2021.
- ^ "Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 19 May 2020.