Smith, Thomas (2 March 2023). "Slowthai – 'UGLY' review: the agony and the ecstasy". NME . Retrieved 6 March 2023. HAPPY’ is the anthem for me: ‘I would give anything for a smile’. The main thing we should all strive for in life is happiness. All the things I’ve done to make myself proud, I’ve only put upon myself. But I’d trade them all in a heartbeat just for a smile.” 8. ‘UGLY’ I was gonna call the album this, but I feel like ‘UGLY’ [U Gotta Love Yourself] is a better title. It’s about the irony of life… this is my version of Alanis Morissette‘s ‘Ironic’! My sense of humour has always been dark. With cancel culture, it’s harder to have a sense of humour now because you’re judged on it. Things that tend to be funny aren’t funny, the things that have become the normality in my life… speaking to people who’ve grown up in your average mum, dad, couple siblings environment, you say stuff to them and they’re like, ‘Man, that’s not normal’. So I’m like, ‘You ain’t been in the real world. You live in your little suburb, and you believe that you have an understanding, but you haven’t even seen out of it’. And that’s what’s funny, innit.” 11. ‘Tourniquet’ Petridis, Alexis (2 March 2023). "Slowthai: Ugly review – the unravelling psyche of a true British great". The Guardian . Retrieved 6 March 2023.

Slowthai: UGLY Review - artistic freedom regained | Rap". The Line of Best Fit . Retrieved 6 March 2023. French-Morris, Kate; Woods, Cat; Harrison, Emma; Johnston, Kathleen (3 March 2023). "Punk star Slowthai provides a breath of fresh air from self-help platitudes – the week's best albums". The Telegraph . Retrieved 6 March 2023.

Tracklist

Jayasuriya, Mehan (8 March 2023). "Slowthai: Ugly Album Review". Pitchfork. Condé Nast . Retrieved 8 March 2023.

Listening through the record, it would seem that this ethos has been the directive for every member of the band and Speedy Wunderground producer Dan Carey who sits behind the mixing desk as Slowthai spins the wheel on which genre he’ll land on next. The latter is clearly a huge benefit to Frampton in defining these moves across the musical map. Not only has he reduced the need for Slowthai’s mic to be endlessly drenched in the spittle of a man trying to make a mountain out of a molehill – showing him that subtlety can have just as hefty an impact – he’s also tempered the production into something far more cultured. That’s not to say that the strength of Slowthai’s lifeforce has been in any way reduced — rather redirected. If Frampton was once a coffee bean sharpened and jammed directly into your eye, Carey, with help from Kwes Darko and Sega Bodega, has dried, aged, roasted and ground the potency of Slowthai’s visceral lyrics and potent worldview into the finest shot of emotional espresso. Poured through the Speedy Wunderground machine, we now have a product that is wholly refined, appreciated for its artisanal craft and yet still able to jolt a sleeping hippo out of his watery bed.The ARIA Report: Week Commencing 13 March 2023". The ARIA Report. No.1723. Australian Recording Industry Association. 13 March 2023. p.6.