Interview: Ultra Major’s ‘Half Dead’ finally sees the light of day
The rock band’s new album hits the base of the skull.
Ty Jontz’s voice cracks like thunder into a flurry of static guitars. “Fader,” the opener to Ultra Major’s new album Half Dead, thrashes with a dirty, slimy mix of instruments that stick to the back of the brain. Ignited with “a batch of random riffs I had lying around,” says Jontz, the track sprouted from his fingertips. But the original bass line had a drastically different feel and tone.
“When we started jamming on it as a band, AJ [Tobey] changed it up to what it is now, which worked a ton better than what I initially had,” he continues, adding how it fell more in line with new wave ala The Cure than anything else. “I remember we were recording some demos some years ago in our practice space and had the amps set up in the doorway. The super knocked on our door and told us he ‘ain’t no stranger to crankin’ amps’ but we were too loud. We’ve lived by that motto since.”
“We’re all gods connected by string / When one cuts out we all just sink,” howls Jontz. His voice is sharp, puncturing the skin with a scalpel’s precision. This line, in particular, cuts to the heart of the song’s intention. With its monstrous, gripping soundscape, the song details “the internal struggle with yourself when making a big decision. Sometimes you want what you know is the wrong choice, which delays the process. Sometimes your own devotion relies on other people.”
Half Dead serves as the band’s first album in five years, the follow-up to their self-titled debut. Looking back, it’s hard to fathom how far they’ve come. “Songwriting is hard, man. I write a shit ton of riffs and record full demos of songs that never see the light of day. If you don’t catch an idea at the right time and get it thrown onto ‘tape,’ you lose the initial drive that brought you there in the first place,” he reflects. “Personally, I feel each new song I write is my best because of the natural evolution. Always trying to find that pocket where my voice and melody fit best. Doesn’t always work, but I feel like on this album it’s my best attempt.”
Admittedly, 2018’s record contains songs they “don’t even play live anymore. In a lot of ways, we’re not the same band, and I sometimes cringe at songs or lyrics I’ve written in the past,” he says. “And 5 years from now I’m sure I’ll cringe at some of these new songs. [laughs] That’s just how it goes.”
Below, Jontz explains the gap between albums, how Half Dead progressed musically, and lessons learned from the creative process.
Why the gap between releases?
COVID. We finished recording two tracks on this record (“Disaster” and “Picture Perfect”) in late 2019 with our producer Tom Beaujour. We had full intention of putting them on a full-length record we were writing at the time. Then, the world blew up, displaced some members of the band, and we just waited for normality. Funny enough, “Niners” is the first song I ever sent Eric [Parson, drummer] back in 2012 when we started this band. It sat buried for years until we revamped it for this record.
When making ‘Half Dead,’ did you set about with any specific intentions or did it progress pretty organically?
“Half Dead” has some songs derived from ten-year-old riffs, while others like “As Seen on TV” I wrote and demoed in an afternoon a week before we hit the studio. It’s honestly probably the least organic or traditional record a band could write. I think I rewrote the melodies and lyrics to “Fader” five or six times before landing on what it is now. I second-guess a lot of things and am never happy with any of it. [laughs] I’m also a pretty private person, in general. I hate when someone calls my name in public; I get weirded out man. So, putting lyrics out there is tough. But fuck it, I guess who really cares right?
What are your own biggest anxieties?
I have a recurring dream where I’m constantly late for class. I barely graduated high school because I never went to school. I was the stereotypical slacker from the moment I started playing guitar and getting into music in 7th grade. I cared about nothing else at the time. I guess my biggest fear is not giving my kid the life he deserves. “Disaster” is somewhat about that.
Has making this album helped alleviate those?
Writing anything lyrically never alleviates anything for me. The thing that connects me to music, in general, is certain chord progressions and melodies. I’ll never get rid of anxiety. The reason I ever started playing music in the first place is because the solo in Smashing Pumpkins’ “Quiet,” off ‘Siamese Dream,’ did something to rewire my brain. I’m constantly on a search for that feeling since.
With an edge of nostalgia to the record, I’m curious to hear your thoughts: why are we, as human beings, so fascinated with looking back?
I don’t think everyone is. I know people who grew up with less-than-ideal childhoods who aren’t nostalgic at all, and I get it. We write music without any intention and don’t think about the past. We just write music that sounds good to us and that’s it really.
What things are you most nostalgic for?
Choco Tacos. MTV’s 120 Minutes. When Final Fantasy was turn-based. And when the Knicks were bad ass motherfuckers in the 90s.
Amidst the turmoil of the world, what things bring you comfort, aside from music?
Teaching my son how good the world can be until he discovers how fucked up it is on his own. My wife, who I met 20 years ago because we bonded over the band Glassjaw. Video games.
What did you glean from writing this record about the current state of the world?
Well, as I mentioned earlier how COVID completely derailed the band, I don’t think this record would have been as good if it was released two years ago. My personal favorite song on the album is “As Seen on TV” because it’s as close to the sound I always try to hit. Pandemic or not, this album was gonna be written when it was written. I love the fact “Niners” was technically written 11 years ago. It’s the song that really pushed this band forward in the first place. We never did anything with the song initially; we never even played it as a band until recently. But I’m happy we put it on this record. It’s pretty damn fitting for us. Our next record will be 4,000 tracks of 20-second riffs from 12 years of writing. It’s what the TikTok kids want, man.
