Slowthai Drops Emphatic Single “Selfish” From His Forthcoming Album ‘UGLY’
RECLAIMING HIS AUTHENTICITY — UK-born rapper slowthai returns with the announcement of his upcoming studio album, UGLY (U Gotta Love Yourself), set to drop on March 3 via Method Records/Interscope Records. Succeeding the release of his sophomore project, TYRON, slowthai aims to shed the outer layers of his persona in his punk-influenced single “Selfish.”
Brimming with menacing synths and crunching guitars over a relentless drum track, slowthai growls with boldness as he stresses the importance of unfiltered ambition as a selfless trait that brings his loved ones up. Expressing his distaste for anyone who is only out for themselves and willing to trample others on the way up, slowthai is unapologetic in holding his independent stance when repeating “I’m just thinking for myself / Thinking, I’m just thinking for myself” in the chorus. His balance between ambition and empathy is especially evident in lines such as “We get what we deserve / Somehow we live and learn / Wastin’ lives out on the curb / While we search for something.” Exploring his thoughts on the definition of selfishness, slowthai speaks on his conflict between his aspirations and support for family: “I want to be there for them but I’m always striving, working, reaching further.”
Symbolized in the album’s cover of a zoomed-in shot of slowthai’s face, UGLY recaptures an intimate side of the rapper feared to be lost. Following the success of his 2019 debut, Nothing Great About Britain, and TYRON thereafter, he gained fame for his manic energy and maverick vibe. However, slowthai felt that his sense of raw self-expression was beginning to slide into cartoonishness.
“People see you as a character,” he said. “They don’t actually know who you are. You’re stereotyped as the nutter who gets in his boxers. I was doing that to show that you should be free at shows and enjoy yourself but you choose to see me as an idiot.”
Wanting to vent his emotions through music, slowthai realized that hip-hop wasn’t quite the right outlet for his current mindstate. “Music is about the feeling and emotion that goes into it,” he shared. “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?”
Switching from rap, UGLY is slowthai’s first full plunge into rock music after brief forays on tracks such as “Doorman” and “Missing” with punk band Soft Play (formerly known as Slaves). Recalling his childhood love of Nirvana and Radiohead, slowthai aims to harken back to his musical roots. Produced by Dan Carey and frequent collaborator Kwes Darko, UGLY features cross-genre collabs with multi-instrumentalist Ethan P. Flynn, Fontaines D.C., Taylor Skye of experimental pop duo Jockstrap, and beabadoobee guitarist Jacob Bugden. Inspired by therapy sessions he took during production, UGLY digs up slowthai’s past memories, revealing his anxieties and depression. Turning a new page in his maturity, the album reaffirms his mission to march to the beat of his own drum.
“It doesn’t matter what or who people think you are, you’ve just got to stay true and respect yourself,” he said. “I have ‘UGLY’ tattooed on my face because it’s a reminder to love myself, rather than put myself down constantly or feel the impression people have of me should determine who I am as a person.”
Pre-orderUGLY before it drops on March 3.
CONNECT WITH slowthai
SPOTIFY
-
weekly tunes playlist has been updated! new tracks from @furtradeband, @pecqband, @garryfool & more! check it out! https://t.co/ToFU0R6YGo
