Ugly are back! Returning with the single, ‘Gallowine’, the critically acclaimed band lean further into the rhapsodic bohemia we’ve come to know and love.
Taken from their forthcoming debut album, ‘The South Facade’, ‘Gallowine’ is our first peek at Ugly’s long awaited full length project that will have both lovers of the sentimental and fans of the absurd waiting with impatience. If ‘Gallowine’ is in any way representative of the album, neither of the above groups will be disappointed. The track includes something for everyone without sounding like the band are losing control or trying to do too much at once.
The introduction to ‘Gallowine’ is initiated by the tonic note on the piano, determining the key to which a choral ensemble soon aligns in vibrant harmony. True to form, Ugly let the calm unravel quickly, any tranquillity gives way to frantic shifts in tone, tempo and mood – embrace yourself for another song that pushes back against all the structural normalities of a pop song.
A jangly piano jumps up and down as lead guitar riffs glide through the background, almost harmonising with the unique vocals that make Ugly so distinguishable from current bands in the alt-rock scene. Speaking on the track, the band say: “It’s definitely one of the most hard hitting tracks on the album and features a lot of elements that make the band what it is. Nonsensical words, bouncy/interwoven guitars and ambitious harmonies – just a few of the motifs that we explore in the song.”
Ugly have a powerful form of expression that demonstrates a love and passion for art that values emotion over order and imagination over coherence. Their performance is as much in feeling as it is in music. In a scene of sometimes over familiar song structures that often lack adventure, Ugly provide a refreshing return to an aesthetic of ‘too much’. This band channels a rhapsodic tradition spanning from Gershwin to Mercury, a form where emotion justifies dissonance and where the song becomes the stage for transformation.
“Rhapsody” is a classical term that gained proper recognition in the 18th century, referring to a piece of music made of contrasting sections that are unified by emotional logic rather than structure. It became reimagined during the ‘golden age of rock’ in the 60s and 70s as bands, most notably Queen, pioneered an eclectic form of rock that turned recording studios into theatres of musical expedition. Ugly seem to be holding the torch now, revitalising a time when experimentation meant pushing boundaries, not adding a saxophone to a track and calling it inventive. The operatic flair of Ugly’s vocals brings to mind those of Freddie Mercury, not because they sound the same, but because they both treat theatricality as expression. It’s a bold comparison to invoke, but it is one that carries weight in understanding Ugly’s attempts at musical melodrama as an art form.
These days, it is increasingly difficult to escape from algorithmic sameness and experimentation can often feel superficial. ‘Gallowine’, however, feels defiantly bohemian, Ugly are rhapsodic in the truest sense.
As this track chugs to a close, the guitar, piano and vocals intersect sporadically as the band harmonise lyrics about an accumulated bet on “On a guy who just signed from Al-Brassr”. Your mind will be left a tiny bit foggy as it navigates the auditory whirlwind of the track, while eagerly anticipating what could be next on the upcoming album.
Photo by Georgia Clarke
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