Uranium Club (also known as The Minneapolis Uranium Club Band) is an American

punk rock Punk rock (also known as simply punk) is a rock music genre that emerged in the mid-1970s. Rooted in 1950s rock and roll and 1960s garage rock, punk bands rejected the corporate nature of mainstream 1970s rock music. They typically produced sh ...

band based in

Minneapolis Minneapolis is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 429,954 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the state's List of cities in Minnesota, most populous city. Locat ...

. The band consists of members Brendan Wells, Harry Wohl, Ian Stemper and Matt Stagner. The band has released four albums on Static Shock Records and other independent labels, and been associated with the egg punk subgenre.

History

Uranium Club formed in late 2013. In 2014, Uranium Club distributed their debut album, ''Human Exploration'', originally as a self-released cassette. ''

Maximum Rocknroll ''Maximumrocknroll'', often written as ''Maximum Rocknroll'' and usually abbreviated as ''MRR'', is a not-for-profit monthly online zine of punk subculture and radio show of punk music. Based in San Francisco, ''MRR'' focuses on punk rock and ...

'' praised the album's "midwestern-freak aesthetic" and "choppy, sharp, borderline-angular" sound. The band secured a record deal with London record label Static Shock Records after

cold calling Cold calling is the solicitation of business from potential customers who have had no prior contact with the salesperson conducting the call. It is an attempt to convince potential customers to purchase the salesperson's product or service. Gene ...

founder Tom Ellis. The band's sophomore album, ''All of Them Naturals'', was released on 3 November 2016 on Static Shock Records and Fashionable Idiots, led by the single ''Who Made The Man?'' on 9 October. Describing the album as a work from "one of contemporary punk's most creative bands", ''Exclaim'' praised its "bizarre musical and lyrical ideas". ''Pitchfork'' considered the album's "twitchy neurosis" and "sardonic" humor to bridge a line between being "self-aware" and "aggressively obtuse". A live album, ''Live! at Arci Taun!'', performed in

Fidenza Fidenza (, locally ) is a town and (municipality) in the province of Parma, in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy. It has around 27,000 inhabitants. The town was renamed Fidenza in 1927, recalling its ancient Rome, Roman name of ; before, it was ...

in November 2016, was released in 2017 on Castle Face. The band's third album, ''The Cosmo Cleaners: The Higher Calling of Business Provocateurs'', was released on 15 March 2019, although a test pressing of the album was distributed on tour previous year. ''A.V. Club'' praised the album's "jagged punk with a satirical edge", stating it found the band "sprawling out while building new alcoves in their weirdo mythology". ''

Pitchfork A pitchfork or hay fork is an agricultural tool used to pitch loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. It has a long handle and usually two to five thin tines designed to efficiently move such materials. The term is also applie ...

'' named ''The Cosmo Cleaners'' as one of the ten best punk and garage rock albums of the year. ''PunkNews'' commended the band's "tight knit looseness" and resemblance to post-punk band

Minutemen Minutemen were members of the organized New England colonial militia companies trained in weaponry, tactics, and military strategies during the American Revolutionary War. They were known for being ready at a minute's notice, hence the name. Min ...

. Uranium Club released their fourth album, ''Infants Under the Bulb'', on 1 March 2024 through

Anti Fade Records Anti Fade Records is a record label run by Billy Gardner based in Geelong Geelong ( ) (Wathawurrung language, Wathawurrung: ''Djilang''/''Djalang'') is a port city in Victoria, Australia, located at the eastern end of Corio Bay (the smaller w ...

and Static Shock Records, led by single Small Grey Man on 18 January. ''Exclaim'' praised the album as "ambitious as ever" and "complex but strangely accessible".

Musical style and influences

The band's music has been described as

punk Punk or punks may refer to: Genres, subculture, and related aspects * Punk rock, a music genre originating in the 1970s associated with various subgenres * Punk subculture, a subculture associated with punk rock, or aspects of the subculture s ...

, and representative of a midwestern scene of egg punk bands, a subgenre of DIY punk bands influenced by

DEVO Devo is an American new wave band from Akron, Ohio, formed in 1973. Their classic line-up consisted of two sets of brothers, the Mothersbaughs ( Mark and Bob) and the Casales (Gerald and Bob), along with Alan Myers. The band had a No. 14 ...

. Similar to DEVO, the band employs narrative elements in the concept and packaging of their music, including the operations of the titular Club and the fictional National Pen Company and Sunbelt Chemical Corporation.

Members

* Brendan Wells – Bass, vocals (2014-present) * Harry Wohl – Guitar, vocals (2014-present) * Ian Stemper ("Teen Man") – Guitar, vocals (2014-present) * Matt Stagner – Drums, percussion (2014-present)

Past Members

* Charles Free - Tape manipulation, sound effects (2013-2014) * "Sci-fi" Sam Benson - Dancer, back-up vocals (2013-2014)

Discography

Studio albums

* ''The Minneapolis Uranium Club Band Performs Human Exploration'' (2014) * ''All of Them Naturals'' (2016) * ''The Cosmo Cleaners: The Higher Calling of Business Provocateurs'' (2019) * ''Infants Under The Bulb'' (2024)

Live albums

* ''Live! at Arci Taun!'' (2017)

References

{{reflist Musical groups established in 2014 Musical groups from Minneapolis Punk rock groups from Minnesota