Slowthai - UGLY
Method Records
Slowthai's third studio album, UGLY, shows the more vulnerable side of Tyron Frampton. The side that's been battered and bruised; left to fend for itself. The side you don't show; the dark side of the soul. With what is the most unhinged project to date, Slowthai captures the distressing sights and sounds of a manic headspace to frightening effect.
UGLY: U Gotta Love Yourself. As hard as it is, you've got no other option. The act of letting your guard down and being washed in self-doubt, denial and uncertainty, all the while coming to grips with the internal. In other words, opening up the self to potential threat - vulnerability. The fragility of a mindset - the rendering of life through your eyes becomes unbearable day by day. Everything coated in layers of impenetrable obfuscation. You don't feel anything for anyone - including yourself. Not seeing past the negativity at the end of your nose, feelings become foreign - a facet of the past. Doused in regret and an abundance of guilt, the screws have certainly come undone - the wagon is hurtling towards the edge.
The way words do indeed cut. The betrayal of the self doesn't help. Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me - they'll just play on my mind for the remainder of time. It's the mental scars that tend to hang around. Scars of the skin become a reminder; mental scars a remainder. Internal tattoos that bleed from time-to-time. No bandages, stitches or staples can close the cut, never mind clean them. The dirt that festers under the skin takes on a septic edge the longer it goes unattended - emotional baggage weighs souls by the pound.
UGLY personifies the harm in lack of self love - the downturn that awaits anyone that fails to see that they're worth something. It can be a harrowing listen at times - honesty tends to rip things apart; though it puts things back together after. Treat yourself like something worth living for. It may be the hardest thing that you ever do. One step at a time, no matter how small the steps may seem.
Your addictions will eat you up.
