Philadelphia and its surrounding suburbs have been a hotbed for exciting new artists and UgLi is no exception.
Guitarist & vocalist Dylyn Durante watched bands play in a seedy South Jersey basement and decided that she wanted to be the one sweating it out on beer soaked floors. Over the course of three years, UgLi has gone from an idea to a fully realized band that is fueled by a hunger to play live and continuously grow as songwriters.
After releasing their debut EP, Scattergood, in 2019, UgLi spent 2020 hunkered down in The Gradwell House to track their debut LP. FUCK is an eight song effort that takes elements of early alternative, punk, and grunge and makes it feel fresh. “Bad Egg” is a perfect example of their ability to weave in and out of each genre. The band treats each verse so delicate before barreling into fuzzed out choruses as Dylyn sings about mental health and medication. The band teamed up with Tony Goggles to put together a music video for “Bad Egg” and you can view it now at Flood Magazine. FUCKis being self-released by the band and will be available on all digital platforms on Friday, June 18th.
Release Date: June 18th, 2021 Label: Self-Released
FUCK. It’s an all-caps exclamation, a sharp proclamation, and a rallying cry. That’s also the name of the debut record from Philly/South Jersey quartet UgLi. Across eight tracks that hearken back to gloom-doom 90s alt-rock and leap towards power-pop majesty, FUCK is more than deserving of its title. The band promises a welcome release of tension that needs no introduction, just your attention. Assembled over an uncertain 2020, the record finds Dave Downham (Pet Symmetry, mewithoutYou) and the band honing in on a sound that relishes in being rough around the edges—anything else would betray UgLi’s internal monologue.
2021’s UgLi—guitarist/vocalist Dylyn Durante (she/her), bassist Lucas Gisonti (he/him), guitarist Andrew Iannarelli (he/him), and drummer Teddy Paullin (he/him)—live in the tender space between dreams and nightmares. Durante likens her emotional squalor to a “House Pet” as the record begins, lets her brain splay open over a flame through “Bad Egg,” and finds ways to navigate love when Cupid’s arrows are pointed elsewhere twice in the runtime. These arty self-reflections are boosted by a band that screeches and shouts alongside her, leading to standout moments like “Superball,” where a narrative of finding one’s place gets jumbled as punk-rock pacing scatters the map. There’s even room for the nine-minute orchestral splendor of closer “Naegleriasis,” where certain brain death is fought with swells of saxophone and trumpet. No matter your entry point into UgLi’s charm, you’ll certainly be saying something.
Album Credits:
Songs written and performed by UgLi
Dylyn Durante (she/her) – Guitar & Vocals
Teddy Paullin (he/him) – Drums
Andrew Iannarelli (he/him) – Guitar
Lucas Gisonti (he/him) – Bass
*Naegleriasis* featuring Stephen Mclean on Trumpet and Carolyn Haynes on Saxophone
Recorded, mixed, and mastered by Dave Downham at Gradwell House.
*Naegleriasis* produced by Dave Downham.
Album Art:
Cover photo by Cecilia Orlando
Graphic design by John Bilodeau
Press Photo:
Cecilia Orlando
