Album Review: UGLY - slowthai
UGLY is the newest LP from UK rapper, singer, and songwriter Tyron Frampton, known more commonly by his stage name ‘slowthai’. His third full-length album to date, UGLY demonstrates clear artistic evolution since the releases of his debut Nothing Great About Britain and sophomore TYRON. While both compelling and impressive releases in their own rights, these projects tended to lack the tangible and unfiltered authenticity that UGLY brings to the table so well. slowthai portrays his emotions and thoughts in a raw and rugged manner, inviting his listeners along the dark path he finds himself on throughout this project’s narrative, which is unsettling from the start.
At just over 38 minutes in length, this project has no time to waste, and immediately sets the tone for what’s to come with the opening track “Yum”. A deep dive into his psyche, slowthai depicts his descent into an addiction-fueled mania on this track, while also crying out for help with lines like “I’ve been lacking motivation / I need an intervention.” The song also features more live instrumentation that his previous works, which was a welcomed addition sonically for me. “Selfish” is another distortion-heavy track that backs slowthai’s complicated relationship with selfishness — something that he uses to better himself, but also something he doesn’t want others to associate with his character. “Sooner” is a milder track compared to the two that precede it, with punky group vocals that differ from the intimately intense aesthetic that had been established up until this point in the tracklisting.
“Feel Good” is another example of the cognitive dissonance that slowthai’s experiencing on this project, with lines like “I feel so happy that it hurts deep in my sides / Yeah, it feels so good when you feel alive,” which is direct contrast to the sentiments of tracks like “Yum” before it. This track serves as an oasis of positivity from those surrounding it, but knowing that it was written as more of a mantra to exit a negative headspace adds a dark irony to the lyrics on this song. “Never Again” is a highlight for me — an impressive narrative that tells the story of returning home to rediscover an unrequited love that couldn’t be saved before tragedy struck. The bass and drum-backed instrumentation supports his rapping perfectly here. “Fuck It Puppet” is more of an interlude that features more of slowthai’s older sonics, and the title term to describe intrusive thoughts is just wonderful.
“HAPPY” is probably the most important song on the album, featuring the important message that nothing matters except for your happiness in life. “I would give anything for a smile” is an immediately-memorable line that stuck with me. The title track “UGLY” has various impressive meanings, primarily serving as an acronym for “You’ve got to love yourself,” especially when the world is actually ugly. slowthai has stated that this song was written at the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and is meant to be a reminder that darkness will always exist in the world, but what we do despite that darkness is what matters. “Falling” is the understanding that this effort is sometimes done in vain, because sometimes nihilism and dissociation is inevitable in one’s life, but that that’s okay too, within reason.
“Wotz Funny” discusses class conflict, exploring the difference in perspectives between the haves and the have-nots in society. This is a unique track that I’d love to hear slowthai describe more in-depth, as not all of the narrative elements connect with me on a personal level. But maybe that’s the point of the track in the first place. “Tourniquet” is probably my favorite track sonically on the album, with an ambient, droning, and ethereal quality that I tend to gravitate toward in music. The metaphor of this track is that sometimes you need to burn bridges or amputate parts of your life to escape vicious loops and cycles and to escape the version of you that you’ve outgrown. slowthai’s unfiltered and visceral delivery throughout the track is nothing short of mesmerizing. “25% Club” is an excellent closer that puts a bow on this revealing and self-exploratory project, where slowthai challenges the idea that externality will lead to us feeling complete. Feelings of being fulfilled, if possible at all, will come from within, not from the outside world — and your happiness is your responsibility. These conclusions are profound, thought-provoking, and discovered through the emotionally tormenting work that slowthai did to create this project.
Creative evolution is one of the most exciting and compelling characters that I look for in upcoming musicians. Since his debut record, it was apparent that slowthai has what it takes to create and release quality albums. But UGLY has proven that he’s willing to take off the mask and grant his audience a look into his unfiltered, genuine, and endlessly self-improving psyche, no matter how uncomfortable that may be at times. That perspective and vulnerability is what I enjoyed most about this fantastic project from slowthai, who is young enough that there’s no telling where he goes from here artistically.
Favorite tracks: “Yum”, “Selfish”, “Never Again”, “HAPPY”, “UGLY”, “Falling”, “Tourniquet”, “25% Club”
SCORE: 7/10
