“It’s been a weird journey”. The strange trajectory of Ugly is not lost on founding member/guitarist/vocalist Sam Goater. Forming in Cambridge in 2016 as a scratchy indie four-piece, 8 years on, via the tumult of lockdown, the band soar as an alt-rock sextet.
With eight minute choral/folk/post-rock epics, tours with Black Country, New Road, and multiple sell out shows across London up their sleeve, Ugly now add to the pile their first major body of work to date, Twice Around The Sun. More than just a debut EP collating singles released by the band across a 2 year period, it constitutes a lasting monument to their last four years: to their defiant regeneration as a band, to the power of community, and the virtues of persistence.
“Bands change. We could have potentially started afresh, but it’s quite nice to have this history”, reflects Sam. “It’s a good reminder about persistence, and the reality with any kind of momentum is that it’s a lot of ups and downs. It’s been rewarding in the past year to see things finally come to fruition. What we have at the moment works more than what we’ve ever had before. It’s lovely that people are jumping on board and getting behind it, as we are as well. For all of us in the band, we feel strongly about these songs.”