Unknown Mortal Orchestra – BOYS WITH THE CHARACTERISTICS OF WOLVES

Unknown Mortal Orchestra has returned with “BOYS WITH THE CHARACTERISTICS OF WOLVES”, the lead single from their upcoming EP “Curse” due June 18th via Jagjaguwar. Following March’s instrumental “IC-02 Bogotá”, this marks Nielson’s first vocal release since 2023’s double album “V” – a gap that he’s now filling with what he calls confronting “the void”.

The track builds from a spindling riff into a driving, Sabbath-inspired chorus that represents a notably heavier direction for the project. Nielson’s production combines spectral experimental elements with metal-indebted earworms, creating what the press materials describe as “the perfect soundtrack to your next confrontation with the void”.

Thematically, Nielson has crafted an elaborate philosophical framework around hidden goodness in human hearts and the difference between encountering monsters versus heroes in times of trouble. His statement reads like academic poetry: “For the sake of sanity we can fool ourselves into believing these silver slivers of morality are visible from the outside, even when we know they aren’t.” He continues with imagery of “clownish, happy-go-lucky soil of lies and chaos” where “silly kind of music can grow” – essentially arguing that absurd times call for absurd music.

The EP draws inspiration from 1970s and 1980s Italian horror cinema, with Nielson describing the current era’s “clownish” energy as fertile ground for dark amusement. His vision involves dancing “with lost minds and howl in valiant hysteria as the stormtroopers of death, confused and incredulous, pile us or those we love into their meat wagons” – imagery that transforms despair into theatrical performance art.