The brainchild of New Zealand-born Portland, Oregon resident Ruban Nielson, Unknown Mortal Orchestra have eked out a powerful reputation in a very short space of time.

Through two stellar records that confidently skirt the space between lo-if, pop and psych, Nielson’s knack for intelligent fusion has raised the band’s intelligent sounds to a level that resonates among both critics and fans. Nielson’s both a student of music and a maker: UMO’s sound is littered with an awareness of the great milestones of art pop music, from The Beatles to Beefheart.

Ruban met up with Best Fit back in February and cut two tracks with our sessions team. Here’s the first – a laid back ‘So Good At Being In Trouble’, which the band dropped as a single earlier this year.

The band are lined up to play two dates in November, announced today:

November
7 – Electric Ballroom, London
8 – Gorilla, Manchester