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{{Short description|2023 studio album by Slowthai}}
{{Short description|2023 studio album by Slowthai}}



{{dmy|date=March 2023}}
{{dmy|date=March 2023}}

Revision as of 16:29, 6 March 2023

UGLY
A closeup photo of Slowthai's left eye with the album title written on his cheek right below.
Studio album by
Slowthai
ReleasedMarch 3, 2023 (2023-03-03)
Genre
Length38:39
Label
ProducerDan Carey, Zach Nahome, Kwes Darko, Ethan P. Flynn, Sega Bodega, Jacob Budgen, Taylor Skye
Slowthai chronology
Tyron
(2021) 		UGLY
(2023)

Ugly (stylised in all caps) is the third studio album by British rapper Slowthai. It was released on 3 March 2023 through Method Records and Interscope Records. The album features Slowthai embracing a punk and rock direction, prompting acclaim from music publications.[3] The album title is an acronym which stands for "U Gotta Love Yourself".[4]

Background

UGLY comes after Slowthai's critically acclaimed 2021 album, Tyron. On January 25 2023, Slowthai released the song "Selfish", and revealed the album's title that same day.

On February 8 2023, Slowthai released the song "Feel Good". In a statement, Slowthai revealed that he "wanted to emulate the brotherhood ethos that bands have". In an interview The Fader, Slowthai discussed how this is his most personal album yet and the new direction he has taken sonically. In another interview with Apple Music after the release of the album, he stated the following: "delving into this gave me that freedom again, I felt inspired. I wanted to do something new and challenge myself, rather than just doing what's expected of me."[5]

Track listing

UGLY track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Yum"Tyron Frampton, Dan CareyDan Carey, Zach Nahome4:21
2."Selfish"Frampton, Carey, Kwes DarkoCarey, Kwes Darko3:12
3."Sooner"Frampton, Daniele Pace, Ethan P. Flynn, Lorenzo Pilat, Mario Panzeri, Peter CallandarEthan P. Flynn, Carey2:54
4."Feel Good"Frampton, Carey, Darko, Sega BodegaCarey, Darko, Sega Bodega2:04
5."Never Again"Frampton, Carey, Darko, FlynnCarey, Darko4:32
6."Fuck It Puppet"Frampton, Carey, Darko, Zach NahomeCarey, Darko, Zach Nahome1:13
7."HAPPY"Frampton, Carey, Darko, Nahome, Jacob BudgenCarey, Darko, Nahome, Jacob Budgen3:02
8."UGLY"Frampton, Carey, DarkoCarey, Darko4:22
9."Falling"Frampton, Carey, DarkoCarey, Darko, Budgen, Nahome2:53
10."Wotz Funny"Frampton, Carey, Liam Toon, NahomeCarey, Darko, Budgen, Nahome2:39
11."Tourniquet"Frampton, FlynnFlynn, Taylor Skye3:47
12."25% Club"Frampton, Carey, Oly CareyCarey, Darko3:34
Total length:38:39

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic?7.3/10[6]
Metacritic90/100[7]
Review scores
SourceRating
Clash7/10[8]
DIY[9]
The Guardian[10]
The Independent[11]
The Line of Best Fit8/10[12]
NME[13]
Slant Magazine[14]
The Telegraph[15]

Upon release, Ugly was met with widespread acclaim from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 90, based on nine critical reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".[7]

Robin Murray, of Clash Music, commented "A bold attempt to embrace his contradictions, this is a project held together by the brutal strength of slowthai's performances."[16] Lisa Wright, of DIY Magazine, gave the album 5 stars and commented, "'UGLY' is a beautiful thing to behold."[17] Alexis Petridis of The Guardian gave the album 5 stars and named "UGLY" the album of the week, calling it "severe, noisy and occasionally pushing."[18] Helen Brown, of The Independent, commented, "On UGLY, he uses rock music as an alarm bell to jolt himself back to reality."[19] Hayley Milross, of The Line of Best Fit, commented "UGLY displays an artistic freedom regained, reconnecting with what drew him to music in the first place. It's a creative direction that will most likely not stick around, but that's what makes it that bit more authentic."[20] Thomas Smith, of New Musical Express, commented "'UGLY', then, is a wars-and-all reckoning, his most exhilarating project to date from front to back."[21]

References

  1. ^ Smyth, David (3 March 2023). "Slowthai: Ugly album review – it might lose him fans but the honesty is breathtaking". Evening Standard.
  2. ^ "Slowthai: UGLY".
  3. ^ Ruiz, Matthew Ismael (25 January 2023). "Slowthai Announces New Album UGLY, Shares New Song "Selfish"". Pitchfork.com. Condé Nast. Retrieved 25 January 2023.
  4. ^ Pappis, Konstantinos (2 March 2023). "Album Review: Slowthai, UGLY". Our Culture. Retrieved 3 March 2023.
  5. ^ "Slowthai recalls playing his new album for Frank Ocean on the FADER interview". The Fader. 3 March 2023. Retrieved 3 March 2023.
  6. ^ "Ugly by slowthai (reviews)". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved 5 March 2023.
  7. ^ a b "Ugly by slowthai Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. Retrieved 6 March 2023.
  8. ^ Murray, Robin (1 March 2023). "slowthai – 'Ugly'". Clash. Retrieved 6 March 2023.
  9. ^ Wright, Lisa (3 March 2023). "slowthai – 'Ugly'". DIY. Retrieved 6 March 2023.
  10. ^ Petridis, Alexis (2 March 2023). "Slowthai: Ugly review – the unravelling psyche of a true British great". The Guardian. Retrieved 6 March 2023.
  11. ^ Brown, Helen (3 March 2023). "Slowthai, UGLY review: Northampton rapper barrels toward self-revelation in thrilling, grimey fashion". The Independent. Retrieved 6 March 2023.
  12. ^ Milross, Hayley (28 February 2023). "slowthai – 'Ugly'". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved 6 March 2023.
  13. ^ Smith, Thomas (2 March 2023). "Slowthai – 'UGLY' review: the agony and the ecstasy". NME. Retrieved 6 March 2023.
  14. ^ Erickson, Steve (5 March 2023). "Slowthai 'Ugly' Review: A Genre-Mashing Walk on the Not-So-Pretty Side". Slant Magazine. Retrieved 6 March 2023.
  15. ^ French-Morris, Kate; Woods, Cat; Harrison, Emma; Johnston, Kathleen (3 March 2023). "Punk star Slowthai provides a breath of fresh air from self-help platitudes – the week's best albums". The Telegraph. Retrieved 6 March 2023.
  16. ^ Interviews, Clash Magazine Music News, Reviews &; Murray, Robin (1 March 2023). "slowthai – UGLY | Reviews". Clash Magazine Music News, Reviews & Interviews. Retrieved 6 March 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  17. ^ "SLOWTHAI - UGLY". DIY. 3 March 2023. Retrieved 6 March 2023.
  18. ^ Petridis, Alexis (2 March 2023). "Slowthai: Ugly review – the unravelling psyche of a true British great". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 6 March 2023.
  19. ^ Petridis, Alexis (3 March 2023). "Slowthai: UGLY review – the unravelling psyche of a true British great". The Guardian. Retrieved 3 March 2023.
  20. ^ "Slowthai: UGLY Review - artistic freedom regained | Rap". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved 6 March 2023.
  21. ^ Smith, Thomas (2 March 2023). "Slowthai - 'UGLY' review: the agony and the ecstasy". NME. Retrieved 6 March 2023.
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