T!LT: LOWERTOWN

Ugly Duckling Union is a concept album based on the band’s experiences in building a community through their music. Dale, the protagonist-duckling, and his companions join forces to defeat LBH, a tyrannical media corporation determined to separate and isolate people in its quest for control. The physical packaging of the album includes a lore-rich manual and comic books illustrated by Doctor Nowhere (Silias Orion). In addition to this, fans will be able to dive even deeper into the album’s world thanks to plush toys and a playable Minecraft world inspired by Ugly Duckling Union. Drawing inspiration from the conceptual creativity of bands like Gorillaz and Fugazi’s emphasis on treating concerts as communal experiences, Lowertown fuse online and live fandom into a complete experience.

Lowertown are perhaps best known for their poignant reflections on the melancholy of youth, always told with sharp honesty. But on Ugly Duckling Union, that angst is filtered through a more mature, detached, and ironic gaze. Weinberg describes their previous lyrics as “knee-jerk reactions,” in contrast to the more deliberate and conscious writing of this LP. “Mice Protection” pokes fun at Osby’s tormented inability to make decisions, “Forgive Yourself” is a blunt yet compassionate meditation on shame, and “I Like You a Lot” is one of Lowertown’s rare love songs, chronicling the physical sensations of infatuation.

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T!LT is created with the support of @fondazionecrt as part of the Orizzonti LIVE program

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