The Ultrasounds are a sludgy garage pop band based out of Winona, MN comprised of 3 chicks and one dude who surprisingly is not the drummer. Megan Hanson is the primary songwriting force in the group as well as lead vocalist. Her songs are complimented by Todd Hanson’s deafening yet melodic guitar work paired with a rhythm section of Courtney Berndt’s doomy low-end and Amber Fletcher’s big drums—making up for her diminutive stature. Their sound is a wall of noisy guitars and feedback juxtaposed with Megan’s frail but poignant melodic vocal delivery. This combination has worked well for the past decade to set them apart from the pack and culminates in a unique blend of indie rock, post-punk, stoner metal, and garage grunge that remains accessible to a wide variety of listeners—as long as those listeners aren’t a bunch of tasteless squares.
The Ultrasounds released their 3rd EP on April 20th of 2017, a split album with Maiden Mars, being the first time doing a musical project with another band. The Ultrasounds side of the EP delves into subject matter such as living regret-free, drinking and the loss of close friends, mental illness, the duality of life and death, and just wanting to scream when people suck. The songs were recorded between a basement practice space in Winona and the rest was tracked live with the full band in Minneapolis. There were cats present at both recording locations.
They’ve also made several consecutive Mid West Music Fest appearances as well as playing various other regional fests and have shared the stage with acts as diverse as Jessica Hernandez & The Deltas, Venus DeMars, and Mark Mallman while garnering praise from both music fans and critics alike.
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Press
“The winsome quartet delivered a guitar heavy, drum-driven set filled with distorted dream-pop that commanded the attention of the packed (and well-lubricated) bar. Frontwoman Megan Hanson’s dulcet vocals provided a nice counterbalance to her and Todd Hanson’s grungy, sludgy guitars, while Amber Fletcher’s insistent, quick-fire drums drove the pulsing songs forward.” – City Pages
“grungy songs with the perfect amount of dirty guitar and floor tom” – The Current
“The Ultrasounds is a four-piece band formed out of Winona, MN, fronted by dreamy vocals, with distorted guitars that weave nostalgic harmonies around pop hooks, with a solid foundation of ever present, ever forward pushing drumming. With tried and true influences like Nirvana, Built To Spill and Fugazi simmering to the top in shifts and fading back into parts unknown, The Ultrasounds are actively carving their own notch in the ever growing, ever gritty Midwest garage pop scene.” – Dubuque365
“full of golden choruses and growling guitars, moody bass lines and thunderous drums, and lots and lots of energy” – Winona Post
“fun, punchy garage pop” – The Current
“The Ultrasounds’ Lost My Mind EP is a solid debut recording that leans heavy on deft distorted guitar work — just like their raucous live performances.” – Adam Wiltgen (All Lights Off Radio, The Noisy Neighbor)
