With an arrival date of May 22nd, ‘Ugly Duckling Union’ is the latest release from Olivia Osby and Ashva Weinberg. The fourth studio album by Atlanta-based indie-rock duo, Lowertown, feels alive; it moves and breathes, suspended between the gritty edge of indie-rock and something warmly dreamier.
‘Mice Protection’ serves as the perfect opening track. Bridging newcomers and veterans alike, the opener unfolds into Lowertown’s rich, familiar soundscape. With a shiny melody and striking chords, Osby and Weinberg create something straight from 2000s indie cinema. Its earnest vocals, tinged with teenage angst, could easily belong to the tracklist of Scott Pilgrim’s band, or Zooey Deschanel’s twee catalogue.
However, these musings are quickly interrupted by ‘Worst Friend’, as it bursts into a much headier, heavier guitar. Below its surface fizzles a simmering angst. It ebbs and flows through the tracklist before eventually boiling over in ‘Forgive Yourself’, where guttural, anguished backing vocals deliver a bruising self-criticism.
The record’s middle is dominated by provocative and conspiratorial spoken-word that blankets tracks like ‘(I Like To Play With) Mutts’ and ‘DIPSH*T’, undercut with buzzing basslines. Though, ‘Found A’ mellows, lifted by weightless, almost psychedelic dream-pop riffs as it ascends from the realm of Sonic Youth reminiscent brooding.
This tug toward whimsy and light breathes constantly throughout the album, whether it’s the moment ‘Worst Friend’ falls into nonsensical lyricism, or the warm, pillowed love imagery in ‘Echo of Desire’. Yet, in the dreamy ebb and flow, the latter’s romantic fantasy falters, nodding to its own unreality as “just an echo of desire”. Everything feels a little subconscious - a gooey, warming sensation that comes to a head in ‘Cover You’. Interludes of spidery, harpish plucking sound like a windchime amid languid woodwind. Its lightness lulls listeners into childlike dreams of gardens. That of hazy summertime naps follows, echoed in the fading transitions into and out of unembellished lyrics.
Aside from this spectacular transcendence, the record’s standout strength is simply their collaboration. Integral sonic balancing is displayed throughout. Osby’s choral backing smoothes the rugged edge of Weinberg’s harmonica-laced ruggedness in ‘Big Thumb’. On the album’s single, ‘I Like You A Lot’, the latter uses vocal distortion that allows the single to hold its sharply defined shape, even in the record’s entirety. It is within ‘Found A’, though, as the two sing atop yet unmatched, that their partnership shines brightest. Texturally, the interplay creates the album’s pinnacle intrigue, the magic of a musical bond that doesn’t need cohesion to glow.
‘Ugly Duckling Union’ ends instrumentally, as the narrator dissolves into wordless yet animated guitar musings. Far from its recognisable, grounded opening, the album’s unravelling, dreamy descent leaves listeners untethered - as if the story told may never have happened at all.
Evie Johnson
Image: ‘Ugly Duckling Union’ Official Album Cover
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