Today we’d like to introduce you to Hans Hansen.
Hi Hans, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I personally always had an ideal — a rough sound in my head. I wanted to make music that didn’t exist, and by extension, I wanted a band to do it with.
I was going to UVU for music in 2022 and met Dane Heaps, our ferocious bassist, in an improvisation class we had together. We clicked immediately, and we knew we had to follow through on some kind of musical project. We recruited Jared Barnum, our drummer and producer, through the school as well; luckily, he was a little too good to be passed over.
Post-formation, it’s been a challenge trying to tie down an exact sound: we rotated 4th members that we couldn’t get to gel, we agonized over naming the band, and lining up our collective goals was a learning process. We self-produced and released 4 singles and collaborated with some other artists, but we wanted to try to make something special.
Suddenly, two years in, we found a sound that we liked and made an album out of it. It was like the sound in my head was finally generated, with Dane and Jared elevating it to greater heights. I wanted to make music that felt very different — a sense of the world falling apart in revelry.
UltraVatic is now an electronic noise rock band. The sounds of air raid sirens, industrial factory machines, crowds screaming and panicking, and broken synthesizers accompany us detailing the blunt reality of severe immolation. That’s the continuity that we are happy with and thrive in together.
It still feels like we’re getting started — we are in our “rookie numbers” stage at the moment. To begin the journey, we have self-produced our first album, and we’re set to release it June 13th 2025!
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Like I said before, we had a hard time nailing down what the “point” of the UltraVatic was, but now it feels like we’re getting nearer to that point.
Additionally, we can’t afford to solely pursue UltraVatic. Jared works full time, Dane and I are currently full time students at UVU, and I am juggling a lot of other part time stuff.
The music business is a tough place for artists, especially if you choose to make experimental music that appeals to a smaller sect of music enjoyers. It can also be tricky to make the kinds of harsh noises we’ve put into our songs — it’s not something they often teach in school.
We don’t know if the road will ever get smoother, but should that be the case, we’ll accept it. I don’t think anyone should try walking that road if they aren’t prepared to trip a few times.
The best case scenario would be a communication of our sound and conceit to those ready for it. We try to offer a specific experience; not just because it can help our business by being unique, but because it holds a potential that we hope others are willing to see and hear!
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
After a while of being a mixture of electronic/dance-punk/shoegaze group, we became more interested in an anxiety-inducing vibe. I started studying concepts from early 20th-century atonal classical music and getting deeper into electronic production. I presented my ideas to the rest of the band and they stuck, so we became comfortable in pursuing our new style.
There are some songs we’re releasing soon that our friends often struggle to sit through — that aforementioned anxiety is an acquired taste. We also have a very loud and very overstimulating live show, intent on making people dance out of fear and desperation.
I am proud of what we have come up with and who we have become as a band. The general reception to our music has been positive, with the general feedback being we are unique and experimental, and that is what keeps us going.
We’d be interested to hear your thoughts on luck and what role, if any, you feel it’s played for you?
The luck we have seen has come in the form of opportunities and unique outlets — like this one! Luck is not something to be controlled, but you can certainly position yourself to take advantage of it when it comes, and that is what we continue to do. We’re vying for a certain level of fame and career status, and I imagine that luck should be in our favor if we stay observant and diligent. At the end of the day, though, the primary goal is to get our music into the hands of those who want it.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ultravatic/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@ultravatic
- Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/ultravatic
- Other: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1-YoWE3YJabvYz1K0pesswx5VW09nuaSB
