Shapeshifters Ulver reinvent themselves once again to a groovy and captivating new form with Neverland.
Release date: December 31, 2025 | House of Mythology | Bandcamp | Instagram
Dropping an album at the very last day of the year is just crazy. Then again, if there’s a band best known for doing things that deviate from the norm, it’s probably Ulver, so the timing for Neverland is actually very on brand.
Well known for shapeshifting their sound into something totally new every few years, Ulver started as a black metal band but have transitioned into trip hop, avant garde, dark ambient, synthwave and other experimental outings that I find really hard to label or describe. In fact, the one thing you shouldn’t expect from Ulver‘s sound is to remain stationary for too long.
However, I would say that they’ve been treading a very straightforward path ever since The Assassination of Julius Caesar came out in 2017. That album kickstarted one of my favorite forms of the band, with very catchy synthpop that was a perfect fit for Garm’s wonderfully melodic voice. The follow-up Flowers of Evil was still good, but it did start to lack both steam and novelty. By the latest album Liminal Animals, I was getting bored of this sound. And does anyone really remember Scary Muzak that much? I don’t, unfortunately.
It was high time for the northern wolves to do their thing and shake things up. That’s why I was very glad that Neverland finally sees Ulver exploring newish ideas for the first time in quite a while. I say ‘newish’ because this new album does feel like an amalgamation of certain things the band did in the past, but it does just enough different things to feel fresh. Ulver feels like Ulver again.
Neverland is like an estranged cousin to the band’s classic Perdition City album. It brings back some of the ambient, trip hop, and electronic elements they played around with that album and made it so special, while still exploring some ideas akin to their recent synth era and mixing it up with some of the odd experimental instrumentation of albums like ATGCLVLSSCAP.
This makes for an album that sounds introspective and futuristic, yet also immensely fun and surprisingly easy to vibe with. It feels both fresh yet very nostalgic to longtime Ulver fans. “Elephant Trunks” sets the stage for this perfectly, with a somber piano intro that is then accompanied by ‘glitchy’ synth sounds: a track that is very reminiscent of the Perdition City era, this time boosted by a modern and lush production.
The lead single “Weeping Stone” follows in a more somber, atmospheric approach – an oddball choice for a single, but that does work well within the album structure. This juxtaposition of experimental pieces with more melodic and straightforward songs is something Ulver have always done in the past and it once again works wonderfully in Neverland. It does get a bit weird in some segments, but never weird enough to be off-putting, even if you’re unfamiliar with their experimental nature. They’re one of the few bands that make interlude-like songs like “Quivers in the Marrow” and “Horses of the Plough” interesting tracks on their own and not just… well, interludes.
The more danceable and groovy tracks like “People of the Hills” and the single “They’re Coming! The Birds” were my instant favorites in Neverland, though. The groovy basslines accompanied by the excellent synth melodies give off major ‘scifi club tracks’ vibes, perhaps something that could be playing at a club in the Mass Effect videogames. It’s the kind of thing that Ulver is just amazing at: creating music and exploring ideas you’d never known you craved. It feels so nice to be surprised by them again after a somewhat stagnant period.
I also adore when Ulver dabbles with trip hop tropes, and rest assured I was immensely happy with “Pandora’s Box” – a tremendously soothing song with excellent basswork that feels like a love letter to Massive Attack and Portishead. “Welcome to the Jungle”, which is thankfully not a cover, stands out a ton as well, with an excellent playful riff accompanied with groovy beats and synths.
Those that appreciate Ulver for Kristoffer Rygg’s vocals may be a tad disappointed to find out that this album is almost 100% instrumental, other than some vocal melodies and samples sprinkled here and there. Neverland does still stand strong without them, but I can’t help but wonder how some of these songs could sound with some Garm goodness.
Whether this album is the first chapter of a new creative era for Ulver or is just a one off project remains to be seen. I enjoyed this album a lot and would like more of this for sure, as I would also support the wolves doing their thing and surprising everyone with something else again. Whatever the future may hold, it’s just great to see these legends still kicking ass, delivering a groovy, thoughtful banger of an album that reminds everyone why they’re a prime example of real authenticity in the music realm. They’re artists who never compromise and stay true to themselves all the way, even if that means reinventing their artistry during the journey.
As a final note, can we hope that this album is accompanied by a tour eventually? I feel like I speak for everyone when I say that we could use some Ulver shows right now.
Cover photo by Håvard Jørgensen
