Ultimate Success Today
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LP / Format
Domino / Label
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CRITIC REVIEWS
100
That sense of reckless abandon is here on Ultimate Success Today, but the evolution of the band has meant that, sonically at least, this is a much more advanced and progressive record than the debut.
9mo
90
Ultimate Success Today has the power of an exorcism, and even if it is not a cure for the sickness, it is somewhere to hide in these dark times.
9mo
90
While Ultimate Success Today does not quite have the singles potential of previous Protomartyr records, it easily has the best flow. It is a masterclass in how to write a perfectly tight, inspiring rock album.
9mo
90
Protomartyr continues to be vital, passionate and adept at tapping into the particular vibe of this moment in history.
9mo
85
Ultimate Success Today sees frontman Joe Casey focus his beat-poet style to a razor-sharp precision, lamenting the continuing decline of his city, state and country.
9mo
84
Throughout the record, Protomartyr discuss the state of the world without beating the listener over the head with the themes – indeed, the pounding ache we all feel is easily tackled by the instrumentals alone.
9mo
80
Protomartyr were a long shot gamble from the start ... And yet here they still are, finding beauty in the rubble, resilience in crushing depression. Like their ravaged hometown, they seem somehow invincible.
10mo
80
Approached with the premonition that it might be their last record, Ultimate Success Today is convulsed by End Times thoughts of collapse and an American dream eating itself.
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9mo
80
This is 2020 in pained, reverb dripping sound waves. This is the isolation. This is the pandemic. This is everything. The doom may have arrived, but at least Protomartyr are back in our lives.
9mo
80
With stadium rock riffs and saxophone over lyrics about riots and respirators, the Detroit post-punks are the soundtrack of an uncertain future.
9mo
80
Ultimate Success Today is thought-provoking, distinctive and testament to the boldness of post-punk in the present day.
9mo
80
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.
9mo
80
The restless punk spirit and flippant, downtrodden ethos that prevail over the project render Protomartyr’s painstaking intellectualizations as fuel for a visceral winding up and release of discontent.
9mo
80
Ultimate Success Today sounds timely in 2020, but this music would be a smart, compelling accompaniment for staring into the abyss as it begins to look back, no matter what the year.
9mo
80
There is considerable depth, particularly lyrical, offering the listener a significant amount of brilliant content to dissect. It may not be the album some fans wanted, still, it is an important step forward in the band’s sonic journey and overall development.
9mo
80
On their fifth album, the Detroit post-punk band recruits a woodwind section for its most expansive statement yet.
9mo
80
Post-punk's Protomartyr have honed their sound into something apocalyptic on their defiantly modernist Ultimate Success Today.
9mo
80
Sounding beaten down at times, railing at the world in the next, ‘Ultimate Success Today’ continues to mark him out as one of post-punk’s most fascinating frontmen and lyricists.
8mo
70
Disjointed sounds and anger in extremis from Detroit post-punks.
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9mo
70
Ultimate Success Today, is an aggressive and unflinching listen. Filled to the brim with screeching guitars, ominous bass and pounding drums in never lets up in terms of its intensity.
9mo
70
Ultimate Success Today stands as an exceptionally thrilling rock record, even if it does little to push Protomartyr into unexplored territory.
9mo
70
The boys in Detroit's Protomartyr continue racking up a flawless run of bleaky poetic, boozily hilarious punk-rock gems; their fifth album is pure misanthropic splendor.
6mo
60
There’s a clear sense of foreboding imbued in each of these offerings and the darkness and doom continue to linger throughout.
9mo
60
Protomartyr attempt a more climactic formula on Ultimate Success Today, with mixed results.
8mo
"I wish you well, I do
May you find peace in this world
And when it's over
Dissolve without pain"
No matter how many years you have under your belt with this band, nothing quite prepares you for a moment like 'Processed by the Boys' or 'Worm in Heaven'. Ultimate Success Today is in nearly every aspect a Protomartyr essential. A fine, intuitive, diligently crafted work encased in the disjointed rhythms and Casey's frantic vocal deliveries. One that knows how to speak and connect with ... read more
May you find peace in this world
And when it's over
Dissolve without pain"
No matter how many years you have under your belt with this band, nothing quite prepares you for a moment like 'Processed by the Boys' or 'Worm in Heaven'. Ultimate Success Today is in nearly every aspect a Protomartyr essential. A fine, intuitive, diligently crafted work encased in the disjointed rhythms and Casey's frantic vocal deliveries. One that knows how to speak and connect with ... read more
My dog wanted to write something up for this album. Apparently he's always felt left out :( I'll try to include him more when he starts liking more music! By the way, I don't know if what he says is intelligible (he's not very good at the human speak), so he apologizes for that.
𝙃𝙞 𝙜𝙪𝙮𝙨𝙝! 𝙄'𝙢 𝙏𝙧𝙚𝙮'𝙨𝙝 𝙙𝙤𝙜, 𝙈𝙖𝙧𝙩𝙮! 𝙄 𝙖𝙬𝙖𝙮𝙨𝙝 𝙨𝙝𝙚𝙚 𝙢𝙮 𝙤𝙬𝙣𝙚𝙧 𝙤𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨𝙝 ... read more
𝙃𝙞 𝙜𝙪𝙮𝙨𝙝! 𝙄'𝙢 𝙏𝙧𝙚𝙮'𝙨𝙝 𝙙𝙤𝙜, 𝙈𝙖𝙧𝙩𝙮! 𝙄 𝙖𝙬𝙖𝙮𝙨𝙝 𝙨𝙝𝙚𝙚 𝙢𝙮 𝙤𝙬𝙣𝙚𝙧 𝙤𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨𝙝 ... read more
Eight million horses, donkeys and mules died in World War I, three-quarters of them from the extreme conditions they worked in.
Relatives of Descent ended with “She is trying to reach you. Trying to reach you”, Ultimate Success Today starts with “I could not be reached, no matter how many times she repeats. An empty space, that’s the whole of me”. Okay then. Isn’t 2020 the ominous hum of June 21? Every morning you wake up to see what’s next up. ... read more
Relatives of Descent ended with “She is trying to reach you. Trying to reach you”, Ultimate Success Today starts with “I could not be reached, no matter how many times she repeats. An empty space, that’s the whole of me”. Okay then. Isn’t 2020 the ominous hum of June 21? Every morning you wake up to see what’s next up. ... read more
Surprised by this. It doesn’t get stale at all from front to back. It’s a great post punk album, and I’m satisfied by this
Protomartyr deliver a great collection of darkly textured and atmospheric post-punk tracks. Every single song on here sounds full, dense, and very potent-sounding. In a year of dull, mostly uninteresting releases, this was just the record I needed.
FAVORITES: I Am You Now | June 21 | Michigan Hammers | Bridge & Crown
LEAST FAVORITES: Day Without End | Tranquilizer
FAVORITES: I Am You Now | June 21 | Michigan Hammers | Bridge & Crown
LEAST FAVORITES: Day Without End | Tranquilizer
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New Track: Protomartyr – “Michigan Hammers” 
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Year End Lists
| #8 | / | Loud and Quiet |
| #17 | / | NBHAP |
| #18 | / | No Ripcord |
| #19 | / | Beats Per Minute |
| #22 | / | Piccadilly Records |
| #30 | / | Drift |
| #32 | / | Paste |
| #43 | / | Slant Magazine |
| #51 | / | Under the Radar |
Track List
- Day without End
- Processed by the Boys
- I Am You Now
- The Aphorist
- June 21
- Michigan Hammers
- Tranquilizer
- Modern Business Hymns
- Bridge & Crown
- Worm in Heaven
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8mo
I'm surprised I don't hear many people talk about Worm In Heaven, it's such a damn good ending and might just be my favourite on the album
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Added on: March 11, 2020