The paranoid, intoxicated world of slowthai’s UGLY
slowthai, the Northampton antihero emcee who hardly needs an introduction after his previous two LPs, has delivered his passion project UGLY, an album rich in punk influence and abrasive electronics, laced with drug-fuelled paranoia, and packed with brutal performances. At only 38 minutes long, the album feels a lot bigger than its runtime – it’s his strongest to date.
The British rapper, real name Tyron Frampton, has been leaning into a more punk direction for quite some time. His collaborations with Mura Masa like Doorman and Deal Wiv It see the rapper flirting with punk, and post-punk inspired sounds, amongst drum and bass, and dance vibrations, whereas his collaborations with Gorillaz, Soft Play (formerly slaves), and IDLES see him exploring the genre even more faithfully.
Growing up in a household surrounded by punk music, I should be a little more informed about the genre and its history than I am. But, punk was my early introduction into more creative and socially conscious music, and is definitely what sparked my interest in music more. Consequently, Hip-Hop influenced by punk, alt-rock, metal, grunge, or noise ends up some of my favourite, so to see Frampton back at this sound, when it’s something he’s teased over the years in usually great fashion, had me eager to hear this natural evolution.
Nothing Great About Britain, although a much more political, grime shaped record, definitely had hints of Frampton’s love for more alternative sounds, like the aforementioned Doorman, the Twilight Zone-esque Missing, or the unconventional vocal inflections of Northampton’s Child. While fans might see this as a divergence from the American influenced trap and guest features of TYRON, fans of his earlier work will likely be impressed by this intense, boundary pushing album.
Speaking on UGLY (which is an acronym for U GOTTA LOVE YOURSELF), Frampton added more context with “every day is an opportunity to reinvent yourself. i am always striving to be better, sometimes falling short but always pushing forward. my third album UGLY is a documentation of this. you are not alone. i am here with you. together we can help each other”.
Kicking off the album, Yum is perhaps the most remarkable and immersive intro track of the year, with vicious, thumping industrial drums akin to Jockstrap’s 50/50, and dystopian, electronic synths, helped with contributions by Zach Nahome, and alternative rock mastermind Dan Carey (Black Midi, Squid, Fontaines D.C.). It’s a druggy, nightmarish trip that begins Frampton’s descent into madness, as he confronts his demons head on. The song builds and builds as he spirals into sexual fantasies, and cocaine excess. Frampton demands “more coke, more weed, more E’s, more trip” amongst the unhinged, modular instrumental. With an artist as big as slowthai, the level of creative freedom is inspiring here, speaking via Apple Music, he commented on the record saying he was “going back to being the kid, being free rather than chained to a genre”. You can feel Frampton’s sense of openness on this track particularly, as he indulges in taboos and makes irrational, intoxicated comments on what might be his most experimental track so far.
The synth-punk DNA flourishes into Selfish, the first of two singles for the record, and an exceptional aggressive cut that sees him reunite with long-time producer kwes. (Loyle Carner, Solange, Sampha). When this pair are together, its quite often to immaculate results, and with Dan Carey in the mix again, it’s elevated to entirely new heights. The music video for Selfish sees the result of Frampton attempting to spend 24 hours in a mirrored box, as an “EXERCISE OF PATIENCE AND SELF REFLECTION”, “WITH JUST PAINT, PAPER AND NOTHING TO LOOK AT BUT HIMSELF”. The video is definitely fitting for the moody track, which sees Frampton angrily projecting braggadocio, before the instrumental escalates into erratic, colliding drums, and sirens, embodying the war in Frampton’s head. It’s an immaculately produced and performed track, and one of his best.
After two hyper-confrontational songs, Sooner is a necessary breather in the track list, with Dan Carey serving a more upbeat, jovial groove, sounding like an early 2000s indie rock pub performance. It seems that Frampton linking up with Carey on this record has helped shape the sound of it more than kwes. this time round (who brought to life many of the best sounds of his past two LPs). Despite the sing-along (yet dreary) chorus and cheery guitar, Frampton is not entirely at peace, with lyrics like “sometimes I wanna kill myself ‘cause failure has never been an option”, further painting a flawed picture of the unsettled rapper. Frampton echoes sentiments many of us can share like “phone distracts me from my life, make plans but I’m bound to cancel”, whilst daydreaming about driving around with friends, and being carefree.
Feel Good, the second single released prior to the record, continues the sunnier, buoyant sound of the previous track, and might be the closest thing to a happy song on the album, despite once again contrasting lyrics of “sittin in the dark, tryna find a light”. Sega Bodega and Shygirl assist for a more dance-punk sound, building the track into an overly infectious, optimistic anthem. The track features an unbelievably catchy refrain, and as the chorus repeats, euphoric synths build around it, and uplift the track even further. It acts as a mantra for slowthai who has stated “when I made this, I didn’t feel good, I felt like shit”, “but I wanted to make a song for when I feel shit so I could just get up and be like, ‘No, I feel good!’”. Not much more can be said about the song, but it is notably feel-good, as the title suggests.
Never Again brings us down from the high with a poignant, heart-breaking track, seemingly told from a different perspective, but one that could reflect his own fears and regrets about the mother of his child. It’s the second track Ethan P. Flynn contributes vocals to, which definitely seem to come from a convincing place of sorrow too. Frampton pens “Still got pictures on my phone, I still sleep on your side of the bed” as the track progresses into a heartfelt, honest conversation that’s at times difficult to stomach.
“’I know it don’t mean much, but you make me beam up,
And I hope you get everything you ever dreamed of’,
Taken aback, like a cat grabbed my tongue,
Then she grabbed up the pram, and in the blink she was gone”
The track becomes more of a gut punch as Frampton, or whoever the narrator might be, expresses fears that the mother of his child has been murdered, alluding to a recent killing in his hometown. The dread sinks in over the possibility that it could be her and has him reflecting deeply over the relationship. In a devastating conclusion to the track, he finds a memorial for her. The storytelling is magnificent, and the track feels like a horrifying ‘what if’ about never taking any person for granted when they’re still in your life – Frampton’s hints at his own failures are almost tear-jerking.
Despite his objections to therapy earlier in the record, Fuck It Puppet was inspired by his therapist – it was the name for the self-destructive imp on his shoulder, pulling him back to the behaviour he’d been trying to escape. In the track, Frampton clashes with the voice in his head, or the devil on his shoulder. Amidst deep, growling synths, and eerie keys, more disquieting sirens appear, and Frampton goes back and forth with this pitched up voice, before a dial phone is heard and the song finishes. Fuck It Puppet feels more like an interlude, or transitional moment in the track list, only about a minute in length, and calling back to the abrasive first half of TYRON, with taunting threats of “rob yutes, push crack, push your wig back”.
On the seventh track, HAPPY, Frampton opts for more post-punk sounds. Surrounded by a deep, sinister bass line, and strumming from beabadoobee guitarist Jacob Bugden, he continues his steep fall into depressive tendencies with declarations like “You made the good times feel like swingin’ from a rope”. The hook on this track is a little boring and is one of two fairly uninspired choruses where he simply spells out the title of the track, but the almost spoken word, off beat third verse improves on the tracks imperfections. Mike Dean-esque synths crescendo behind his cries of “How far can my feet take me before they bleed?” – it’s a noteworthy ending to the track and really shows Frampton’s dedication to this albums consistent sound that pulls from an array of influences.
The title track, UGLY, is next in the track list, and features contributions from Fontaines D.C. As mentioned, the hook is a little unimaginative, and there are definitely some eye roll lines (whether ironic or not) like “we’re just puppets in a simulation”. The production, and Frampton’s performance undoubtedly carry the track, it’s just unfortunate his commentary on war and capitalism is pretty surface level on this one, lacking the punch that the rest of the album has.
Jacob Bugden returns for Falling, another disorienting synth-soaked cut, but with more Pixies influence. With a more amped up, screechy performance from Frampton, the focus isn’t really the lyrics here, which aren’t overly deep, the focus is more on how the energy and frustration builds alongside the climaxing instrumentation. He sings of his fears of “drifting away”, before the track quite literally ends somewhat abruptly. It feels like another transitionary moment, but definitely serves its purpose in expressing Frampton’s existential worries.
Wotz Funny is without a doubt one of the LPs highlights, featuring similar sounds to The Stooges I Wanna Be Your Dog, and a more traditional mosh pit inducing punk tune in its tempo and progression. It’s also more traditional in its simplistic, shouted chorus, which you can already hear translating to a live crowd seamlessly, with people chanting back the “oi, oi oi” adlibs. The track continues the idea of “pretty people do the ugliest things”, whilst commenting on drug addicted communities, and poverty in society. The hostility in Frampton’s words hit even harder on this track, taking aim at those in power laughing off others real world misfortunes. After a few fairly inconsequential, yet inoffensive tracks, Wotz Funny brings the album back with pulses racing. It’s one of the records more socially aware tracks, but with an energy that can only be rivalled by the first two songs.
The musical odyssey this album takes you in is almost like a troubled anti-coming-of-age story, ala Trainspotting, with its gloomy observations on drugs and death. It’s akin to a British Atrocity Exhibition by Danny Brown, an album which also occasionally borrows from punk, and is perhaps my favourite experimental record of the 2010s. Darkness looms behind every track here, and even in its brightest moments there are shadows.
Tourniquet sees more of Jockstrap’s imprint on the record, with Taylor Skye producing, alongside Ethan P. Flynn. It’s more of a slow track that relies on the tension building through the slowly spiralling instrumental and Frampton’s building exasperation. The keys build and build, as Frampton expresses more hopeless and desperate lyrics like “I play the wound, you play the salt”, and “I give you everything I’ve got ’til the last fucking bone I have”. It’s one of his strongest performances on the LP, and sounds like one of the most painful for him to convey, with his cries and raspy voice cracks. Instrumentally akin to a Black Country, New Road track with its ambitious and layered production, it’s a very powerful penultimate track.
25% Club is a moment of peace after chaos. A soothing, bittersweet finale, it closes the curtains on Frampton’s bold, challenging third record. Quiet keys and acoustic guitar leave this one feeling unique from the rest of the tracks, and more like something off the second half of TYRON, but nonetheless a fitting final moment. A record like this seemed inevitable in slowthai’s artistic progression, but on paper its mesh of styles feels like paint thrown at a canvas. Somehow, though, and despite the album’s title, he’s ended up making something beautiful. Through a range of influences in its makeup, from brash alt-rock, to cutting edge electronics, and synth laced punk, this album feels like it was really made for himself and not the fans, but has still ended up being cathartic for a lot of listeners. He’s in his own lane as one of the most creative, daring rappers in Britain’s musical landscape, and although only three months in, it’ll be hard to top this one.
slowthai is currently doing pop up shows, and meet and greets around the country, so keep your eyes peeled.
If you missed the chance to see him on his inflation-busting £1 shows (up from 99p in 2019), get tickets for his tour here.
