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- Critic score
- Publication
- By date
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May 21, 2012For the most part, it works.
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May 9, 2012If you think that the "rock" part of "indie rock" has been dying a slow death, look to Screaming Females as your lighthouse during these dark, guitar-less times and rejoice as you air shred along with all that Ugly has to offer.
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Apr 26, 2012If any Screaming Females record has suggested they may someday become a group worthy of cataloging in a book like Azerrad's, Ugly is it, igniting a classic punk sound with a friction that falls somewhere between SST and PJ Harvey's Rid of Me.
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Apr 17, 2012If world domination is in question, hooks could be more defined, production could be less flat, and Paternoster's yodel most resembles the forgotten Lunachicks. But she and this Brunswick, New Jersey–born trio have staked an impressive claim.
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MagnetApr 11, 2012Paternoster invites you to get ugly and rotten with her like it's a call to arms. [No.86, p.57]
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Apr 9, 2012For the most part, Ugly lets Paternoster's guitar play do most of the talking for it, with all sorts of metallic shredding, slice-and-dice post-punk lines, and power-pop hooks taking center stage here.
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Apr 5, 2012On Ugly, the Jersey trio strikes an expert balance between grandiose metal riffage and brain-searing.
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Apr 4, 2012The release finds the New Jersey trio, which also features Jarrett Dougherty on drums and King Mike on bass, exploring not only space-filling arrangements that are impressive for the lean band, but also hard-hitting and catchy tracks.
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Apr 4, 2012A favorite for punk album of the year.
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Apr 4, 2012Ugly is ultimately an album that finally finds the Screaming Females completely confident in their own identity, no longer trying to straddle the line between their headier rock aspirations and the DIY punk scene that gave birth to them.
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Alternative PressApr 3, 2012It's hard to be down on a record that deftly rocks this hard. [May 2012, p.85]
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Apr 3, 2012Ugly is so rich, so dense, so full that you forget there's just three of them.
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Apr 3, 2012Not only does Ugly set a new standard for the band, it's also a grubby, triumphant call to action.
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Apr 2, 2012Ugly is Screaming Female's Steve Albini record, an inevitability for a group like this, and the trio brings its "A" game to the project.
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Apr 2, 2012It's just a little too long and continuous to listen to in one setting.
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Apr 2, 2012New Jersey trio Screaming Females plays with more ferocity and confidence then ever.
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Apr 2, 2012Indie rock albums with this uniquely developed a voice don't come around often, especially not when it's this much fun.
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Apr 2, 2012At 14 songs and 53 minutes, Ugly is a workout, and there's nary a moment in which Paternoster doesn't seem at risk of losing control to her guitar.
Awards & Rankings
User score distribution:
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Positive: 8 out of 11
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Mixed: 2 out of 11
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Negative: 1 out of 11
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May 26, 2012
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Jun 16, 2012
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Aug 25, 2022