New Zealander Ruban Nielson is one of the few artists that can point to the benefits of online anonymity when his 2010 track Ffunny Ffrends saw him relentlessly pursued by blogs and labels alike. Six albums later and the trio of Nielson, Jake Portrait (guitar) and sibling Kody Nielson (drums) have absorbed listeners via Unknown Mortal Orchestra’s genre-defying approach to psychedelic rock.
In 2018, the trio surprised us once again with the refreshingly raw, Miles Davis-inspired jazz album IC-01 Hanoi. Recorded in Vietnam, Nielson continued his aspiration to make music on location by relocating to Palm Springs and the lush coastline of Hilo, Hawaii, where a family tragedy left him having to face his own mortality. Bringing his brother, Kody, closer to the fold and enlisting his father Chris Nielson to play saxophone and flute, the surprisingly upbeat V draws from UMO’s absorption of West Coast AOR and a desire to represent Hawaiian hapa haole music whilst basking in the band’s famously mischievous lo-fi aesthetic.
Having left the Mint Chicks prior to the release of your debut solo album you seemed surprisingly keen to jump back into a band environment?
“I had to make a decision because there were a lot of things about starting a band that were a bad idea, like not having much money and not having much to show for it, but in the end the idea was just way too seductive and I didn’t want to spend the rest of my life thinking, what if? I didn’t imagine UMO would take me on such a massive ride though – it’s been more than I bargained for in many ways.”
Do you think that having your brother and, occasionally, father in the band gives you a feeling of security in a business where trust is often an issue?
“It’s become more about that. Initially, I came to the States to run away from my family, my past and my responsibilities, but at some point you have to face where you come from and what people need from you. When I left New Zealand, I didn’t feel I had much to offer and thought nobody would miss me if I ducked out
