Protomartyr Imagine Infinite Failures on Ultimate Success Today
The Detroit post-punk veterans offer their harshest statement yet on fifth LP

“Dull ache turned sharp / Short breath, never caught,” Joe Casey repeats through the closing minute of “Day Without End,” his voice turning from detachment to anger, struggling above the hammering drums, guitars and horns as they remain largely unchanged except in their steadily building, brutally indifferent noise.
This begins Protomartyr’s fifth album, Ultimate Success Today, and in many respects encapsulates the mission of the Detroit post-punk veterans’ music. From their first LP No Passion All Technique to their latest release especially, Protomartyr have had a preoccupation with failure, the volcanic eruption of small, petty lives confronting the overwhelming forces, both external and internal, that bind them to their insignificance and vise versa.
Ultimate Success Today places that theme on an apocalyptic and disturbingly prescient scale. These tracks paint sketches of authoritarianism creeping dully into everyday life, soulless populism rooting its way into confused masses, animals trapped between choosing death or the pain that comes with surviving, and above all, the illusory promise of success in a world collapsing in on itself. It is, to put it lightly, not a happy world for Protomartyr.
But the concept behind the music can only be as moving as the music itself, and, thankfully, Protomartyr delivers. The band’s knack for meaty percussion and jagged guitars continues, with tracks “Processed by the Boys” and “Michigan Hammers” offering some of the punchiest rhythms of their discography. On top of that, the group expanded their usual sonic palette to include horns and strings. Jemeel Moondoc’s saxophone makes the most dramatic contribution, adding an untethered, disquieting presence to songs like “Day Without End” and “Tranquilizer,” along with some smooth accents to the band’s softer moments on “Worm in Heaven” and “The Aphorist.”