GutterPutter

Following 2021’s Tyrone, it all feels as if everything is going well for Tyron ‘slowthai’ Frampton as one of Britain’s top rappers. His social/political takes that culminates in a stunt against Boris Johnson, the rough-edged swagger which is tied to his heritage, and unique sense of rhymes and flow have made him dearly beloved among listeners of UK hip hop. Yet, behind all these iconic traits, lie someone who’s deeply tied to his nation’s rebellious love for punk rock. Many of his fans have already noticed how certain sound palettes on his 2019 debut Nothing’s Great About Britain leans close to rap rock. Few expect his third record to take a sharp detour down that lane.

UGLY is supposedly an acronym which stands for “U Gotta Love Yourself” according to Our Culture’s review on the album. Being conceptually built around the framing narrative of therapy, the album follows the same path that contemporary Dave have done on his 2019 debut Psychodrama. Yet, while the latter is a conscious commentary on growing up as a black British citizen, UGLY is largely centred around introspection  with the thematic focus on self-loathing and substance abuse. 

Devoid of technical cadences, expect the flow in the album to be neutered down to a minimum as shown in the bitterful track ‘Selfish’. The militaristic drumming and gradual growth in slowthai’s anger at the double standards and hypocrisy that even he experiences helps you to truly feel the frustrations that he must have felt at his newfound status. The opening track in ‘Yum’ opens up on an industrial note like Death Grips as slowthai’s self-hatred grows over his vices and constant self-sabotage. With how noisy the track feels and the satirical subversion of how hip hop fawns over sex and drugs, you know that you are in for a road rage of a ride.

There’s little flexes on rhymes that could be found in UGLY. However, don’t let the lack of flow or conventional hip hop tropes fool you to assume that the album is not worth your attention. It’s a good while since the prime of Beastie Boys and Eminem that we get a rap rock album that doesn’t feel like a gimmick. In fact, the post-punk focus truly adds to slowthai’s chavvy charms. Take the dissonance between the jovial playing of the instruments and the cynical lyrics that allude to depression and helplessness in ‘Sooner’ or the growing desperation to fix self-destructiveness in ‘Tourniquet’. Even if acting isn’t what he’s looking to get into, there’s a clear alteration to be had in his enunciation and it’s through that which allows his personality to shine at all angles.

The production, while it’s far more nuanced due to the rock instrumentation, is admirable with how it gives weight toward each layer of sound in the track. ‘HAPPY’ sees the guitar riff hover in the background with its notes coming off as being sinister, a subtle hint of a toxic relationship that pervades within the track. The climatic roar of another guitar as it closes further adds to the suspense of whether the voice would actually find a common ground with his lover or if he might eventually “give everything for a smile”. ‘Feel Good’ is catchy with its nice blend of synths, simplistic playing, and lulling backing vocals which makes for one of the more commercially friendly songs to be made into a single. Yet, the sole verse that is easy to overlook amidst the infectious singing revolves around languishing in your misery no matter how hard you try to make yourself happy. 

The theme of self-loathing can overstay its welcome with ‘Fuck It Puppet’ where, for all its unflinching portrayal of ADHD as being a curse, the phone-recorded audio can come off as offputting. With the whoo-ings that surround the verse every now and then, it’s a plus that the track lasts just over a minute so that we can appreciate the sinister-sounding guitars and the aggressive inflections. Meanwhile, ‘Falling’ sees a slow tempo being played out as slowthai sings the same few lines with varying tone and feeling. This leaves little room as to whether you should appreciate the mood swing from being angry to being resigned or if it’s too repetitive to fit with the thematic exploration of one’s own psyche.

While the two aforementioned tracks might be a mixed bag in comparison, the other tracks are worthwhile gems to be had. ‘Wotz Funny’ records the depiction of a neighbourhood that’s filled to the brim with prostitution, poverty, vendetta, and drug dealing in a way that’s not felt since Nas’s Illmatic. From there, the fervour of the instrumental playing works like a charm with Tyron’s chanting. With an accented outro to poke fun of how people fetishize crime within impoverished communities, it’s not a track that you would forget in the slightest. Meanwhile, ‘25% Club’ signs the album off with a lovely female backup vocal singing, an acoustic guitar playing, and a more contemplative look at a codependent relationship between two struggling individuals. It’s an affecting outro that will have you think more deeply about UGLY and its depiction of love.

However, my favourite pick would have to go to ‘Never Again’. It’s perhaps one of the very best story-driven rap songs I have listened to as of late, if of all time even. Centering around the tragic meeting between two exes before one of them gets murdered by her husband, the song is dynamic in its structure. From the jazzy/lounge background music in the first two verses to the minimalist reverberation of the voice during the chorus, the sense of peace and potential revival of romance adds suspense to whether something will uprear their lives forever. Thus, when the melancholic guitar kicks in as we’re given Tyron’s full account of how he learns of his ex’s demise, it hits you with such an emotional intensity that makes you want to replay the song to get more details. The contrapuntally slight hope in the piano, the rumination on “sleeping on [the ex’s] side of the bed”, and the more constrained vocal performance leaves little room as to not argue that his feelings remain apparent. One that will not be reciprocated again indefinitely.

UGLY, true to its name, lacks the shine and glimmer compared to many hip hop albums today or even that of rap rock’s own releases. It tackles sensitive topics with addiction and self-inflicted harm being its most prominent, slowthai’s vocal performance in general shows its charisma only in context of his home country, and there’s no features from other emcees. Yet, the rough edges and confessional look into the self makes for one of the UK’s most special releases this year. Once you brave through the unfiltered outlooks, you will find yourself with a treasure trove of hits after hits that sought to deal with their subject matters in a way that feels utterly and shamelessly human. It might be uncommercial with its left-field turn towards rock rather than conventional rap, but such a turn might be what slowthai needs to prove his worth as an artist. He very much so deserves all the praise in the world.