slowthai has released his third studio album, UGLY, via Method Records/Interscope Records. Stream it via Apple Music or Spotify below, and get tickets to his upcoming tour dates here.
The title of the album is an acronym for U Gotta Love Yourself, the sentiment of which is reflected in slowthai’s description of the album as “completely me — about how I feel and what I want to be… it’s everything I’ve been leading up to.” The sound of UGLY taps back into slowthai’s love of artists like Nirvana, Radiohead, and Daniel Johnston.
“This album was me trying to emulate the spirit of the brotherhood ethos that bands have. Music is about the feeling and emotion that goes into it,” the British artist said in a statement. “Like an artist making a painting, it’s the expression of that moment in time. I really felt like I didn’t want to rap, whereas before, rap was the only way I could express myself with the tools I had. Now that I have more freedom to create and do more, why wouldn’t we change it up?”
UGLY was produced by Dan Carey (Fontaines D.C., black midi) alongside slowthai’s frequent collaborator Kwes Darko. Musicians who contributed to the album include Fontaines D.C., Jockstrap’s Taylor Skye, Beabadoobee guitarist Jacob Bugden, Ethan P. Flynn, and drummer Liam Toon.
To promote the album, slowthai livestreamed himself inside a custom-built room with two-way mirrors. Check out a replay below.
In November, slowthai returned with a new track called “i know nothing” as part of a Beats by Dre ad campaign. His previous album was 2021’s TYRON. This summer, he’s set to open for Blur during their first headlining shows in eight years and will also appear at Reading and Leeds 2023. Grab your tickets here.
UGLY Artwork:
UGLY Tracklist:
01. Yum
02. Selfish
03. Sooner
04. Feel Good
05. Never Again
06. Fuck It Puppet
07. HAPPY
08. UGLY
09. Falling
10. Wotz funny
11. Tourniquet
12. 25% Club
