Following a two-album stint with 4AD and some intermediate short-form releases, such as a pair of EPs for XL, Zomby returned to Hyperdub, the outlet for some of his earliest work. Ultra is cheekily front-loaded with a trio of weightless and skeletal tracks that offer little more than new combinations of the producer's familiar hollow plinks and brittle blips, dotted with routine gunplay FX and vocal mutations. Those who stick it out are treated to a few of the producer's most straightforward and substantive tracks. Loaded with rhythmic friction and alien melodies, the most memorable moments emulate and often synthesize Wiley-style grime, scuffed-up U.K. garage, and early-'90s IDM in craggy form. There's little in the way of breakbeat science, supplied only in the decayed "S.D.Y.F," a collaboration with Trilogy Tapes artist Rezzett. The track easily surpasses "Sweetz," an uneventful Burial co-production trailed by another standout, the forlorn "Her," enhanced with a streaked, slightly dazed melody that recalls Madonna's "Live to Tell." Although it's not without some dazzling moments, this is the Zomby album with the lowest quantity of thrills.