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Music

Unknown Mortal Orchestra Get Down and Dirty on "American Guilt"

On their new single, ahead of an upcoming tour, the New Zealand psych-rockers are mad as hell and they're not going to take it anymore.

Unknown Mortal Orchestra are best known (pardon the irony) for their buttery but noise-damaged take on psychedelia and soul, with frontman Ruban Nielson's deft guitar acrobatics closer to jazz than outright shredding. Evidently that's all been thrown out the window, as the band has unveiled a new single called "American Guilt" that's less Temptations and more Jimi Hendrix.

The guitars are fuzzed to the high heavens, playing a complicated stoner-rock riff that's given more grit thanks to a typically lo-fi UMO recording. Nielson sounds pissed, but not as angry as his detuned guitar. The single comes ahead of a world tour. "American Guilt" is a huge change of pace for the band, and you can listen to it below.