Maara - Ultra Villian
The slow creep of Big Beat and Trip Hop into the cultural Geist has been glacial but not insignificant. With society stuck in a perpetual Wednesday, the eat, sleep, rave, repeat of 2013 seems a distant memory for most as the monotonous charge of modern Britain fills most with anxiety and anguish. This has been an important factor in the resurgence of melancholy. It's why the cinematic edge to Big Beat and the dreamlike sound of Trip Hop may be back. People and artists alike are striving for sexy and exciting to punch through the malaise of grey skies. Enter Maara's latest effort, Ultra Villain (2026), which mixes a new-style Big Beat revival with sensual, sassy vocals wrapped up in hallucinogenic Trip Hop.
Ultra Villain takes note from all the big hitters like Massive Attack, Portishead and UNKLE, but with an undeniable modern sharpness. It is also not the post-matrix post-industrial digi-core that exploded in popularity around the early 00's. Instead, the album runs directly parallel to both, like the missing cheese to the sandwich. Maara selectively draws from both genres, omitting the corny bits of each and replacing them with stimulating elements to craft something that excites the day-to-day of the drab 2026.
The album finds space to sit quietly, like on 'Glimmers of Hope', where dusty drums lay down warm grooves to which a bootful of atmosphere rests. Distant vocals swim harmoniously with glacial pads. The effect is a swirling, dreamy Sunday smoke in the sun. chilled but not tiering. The combination of warm and cool is demonstrated on 'Burn Up' as well as the track flutters between temperatures without feeling tepid. Maara doesn't rest on the teachings of the past. Tracks such as 'Dangerous Games' take a much bolder route, utilising contemporary production to add UK flavours like grime, while 'Kiss The Ring' introduces UK funky. Examples like this are all over the album, making the listen anything but a rehash.
Maara crafts cuts that feel totally mesmerising, like a beautiful blend of action cinema and arthouse film. When I say action cinema, I don't mean the fantastically tame early James Bond bit, but rather the skittish and brutish efforts of the 2000s. There's an analogue graininess that plays against the ultra-crisp synth work on 'The Chase', making the album feel fresh and even futuristic in parts. There's an over-the-top coolness that oozes from all over the album, a self-assurance that reminds me of the overly cool Jason Statham and Vin Diesel characters, but on a much higher level. Tracks like 'Might Jump…' mirror the cultural shift from xXx and Crank toward more moody, "realistic" portrayals, such as John Wick, only way more feminine. The mix of boisterousness and gentleness means the album embodies femininity as power, aligning more with features like Ghost in the Shell, Tomb Raider, and Ballerina.
You feel like a movie star listening to this. Musically, is it doing anything new? Not really, but it's the combination and distillation of elements that stand out. The boisterousness of 90s cool has been chewed up and redefined with a fem subtlety that makes what came before feel old hat. It's incredibly well-constructed and concise in its musical idea, allowing for total immersion in the world Maara has created. Brilliantly taking away the monotony of life, I'm transporting you into your very own slow-mo blockbuster hits.
Label: NAFF (2026)
Maara - Ultra Villian
