Abstraction as method: Ulrika Spacek favour process over feeling on 'EXPO'.

By Hard of Hearing on February 5, 2026

The band's fourth album orchestrates a mix of analogue and electronic that presents a compelling sound but lacks emotional impact.

Photo: Anya Broido | Words: Eva Karl

Ulrika Spacek's fourth album, 'EXPO' presents a collision of the electronic and the analogue, coming together to create a solid, process-based work. Abstraction and method are the operative factors, with layered soundscapes that feel both rooted in reality and expressive of a decidedly twenty-first-century mode of existence. 'Intro' features samples from a documentary on loneliness that give a humanistic quality to what feels like a digitally driven opener, setting the scene for an explorative and sprawling work.

'Picto' the second track on the album, launches into a greater momentum, with driving chords that give way to textured drums and interweaving guitars. It is angular but overwhelming and achieves a sense of urgency that propels the work forward. In contrast, 'Build a Box then Break It' starts with a Portishead-like sludgy beat, trudging along in a pounding rhythm. Edwards' vocals, lilting along the top of this soundscape, hit the same or similar notes with abrasive dissatisfaction.

The collage-like quality of the record works to honour the unreal feelings behind some of the most visceral experiences. With lead singer Rhys Edwards awaiting the arrival of a new baby during the recording process of the record, there is a tension that runs through the album that reflects this somewhat anxious anticipation. Edwards, reflecting on this anxiety, commented that having a kid "makes you wonder what kinda world your child will inherit."

In this way, 'EXPO' is a contemporary record, refusing any hint of nostalgia in favour of honouring the present moment. The notably collective and experimental process of the band, who have been active for over ten years, prioritises a practice of working-through, with the songs on 'EXPO' taking a sometimes-meandering path towards a unified sound. The title track stands out from the others with its poppier melody, creating something that is more than the sum of its complex parts. Beginning with looped samples of chimes and a voice that sounds like a Zen cassette tape, parts interplay like lace.

The experimental quality of the record's instrumentation is echoed in the lyrics, but the extent of their abstraction feels risky. Of course, a song, or indeed an album, needn't always have an explicit 'message' that is signed, sealed and efficiently delivered, but somewhere the real meaning of these tracks gets lost in the meshy noise. Innovative drumming punctuates the record, but it doesn't feel like enough to embellish what feels like an album with little emotive power. This kind of restraint may reflect our time, but the familiarity of tone doesn't quite feel satisfying enough. Seeing the contemporary experience through the prism of intricate process feels like it drowns out the larger, more intense emotions that this band has the skill to evoke. The style of 'EXPO', mediating feeling through so much technical prowess and process, ends up dulling the impact of the music on the listener rather than sharpening it.