Release Date: 22/05/26Fourth LP and first on Summer Shade. Music videos for all singles. RIYL: Alex G, feeble little horse, Beat Happening. If you haven’t yet been introduced to Lowertown—the New York-based duo of Olivia Osby and Avsha Weinberg—now’s the perfect time. After years of label disputes and creative frustrations, their new album Ugly Duckling Union (out May 22nd on Summer Shade) is their most thoughtful, catchy, and eccentric collection yet. A concept album about forging community, it follows protagonist Dale and friends as they unite against LBH, a tyrannical media corporation. The physical packaging includes a lore handbook and comics by Doctor Nowhere (Silias Orion), plus plush dolls and a playable Minecraft world inspired by the album. Drawing on the conceptual ambition of Gorillaz and communal live ethos of Fugazi, Lowertown merges online and in-person fandoms. Lyrically, the band’s once-raw angst is reframed with more maturity and humor: “Mice Protection” pokes fun at indecision, “Forgive Yourself” confronts shame, and “I Like You a Lot” offers a rare love song. Fully written, recorded, produced, and mixed by the duo, the album celebrates the outsider spirit—finding freedom through community and collaboration.
