INTERVIEW W/ UGLY OZO: It's a time capsule; an ode to that very eventful period of my life!

Fresh from signing with REX RECS, Isle of Wight's alternative trio UGLY OZO are gearing up for their sophomore EP (OUT MAY 1ST). Led by the creative vision of Jessica Baker, UGLY OZO deal with all the angst-ridden trials and tribulations of a young-adult life. There's tinges of American teen drama with a gritty Indie-Alt texture. They swith between introspective melancholia and punchy expressions laced with angst, chaos, love and longing.

Their upcoming EP 'dive' confronts life head-on, backing up raw, relatable experiences with a ferocious swagger that fans of Coach Party and Wet Leg will love. Ahead of the release, we caught up with Jessica to chat about the EP, the band's development and what we can expect from their May tour.

Photo Credit: Emma Jones / @emwajones

Q. Can you talk us through the title of your new EP 'dive' and how this reflects the feeling of the EP? 

A. "I felt like ‘dive’ was a more mature take on our debut EP ‘stargirl’. It feels more like going headfirst into the real world and how I’m trying to navigate everything as an adult now- relationships, friendship breakups, falling in love for the first time, and trying to juggle everything whilst putting absolutely everything into my music. Life got way more chaotic after ‘stargirl’ and I feel like ‘dive’ really reflects that". 

Q. What are the overarching lyrical themes flowing through the tracks on the EP? 

A. "There’s definitely a lot said about my mental health and how I’ve coped with the different adversities I’ve faced since ‘stargirl’. I think this EP is a lot more self reflective with no sugarcoating. It wasn’t an easy time for me during the making of ‘dive’, and a lot came out in those tracks about the things that were happening in my life. I went through a very long awaited breakup and a really shit friendship breakup in the space of a few months, as well as leaving my hometown for good, so there was a lot of change and a lot for me to process.

I had to be super resilient and stay focussed on protecting what was most important to me, which was UGLY OZO. During that time though, I also fell in love for the first time and felt this intense joy and conviction that I’d never experienced before, which brought a completely different side to the EP. It feels like a time capsule and an ode to that very eventful period of my life, and it’s really special to me". 

Q. How do you feel this EP differs from your previous releases? 

A. ‘"dive’ is like the despondent older sister of ‘stargirl’. The first EP was more tongue in cheek and playful, and dive is where shit gets real. There’s no hiding, and it’s super on the nose in parts. When we were recording ‘dive’, nobody was safe- if they’d done me dirty, they were getting a song written about them, and it was gonna be super obvious!".

Q. You've mentioned in the past that you were initially nervous about singing - do you feel you've really grown into your vocal confidence over the course of this project? 

A. "I’ve definitely grown in confidence in terms of singing, although I still wouldn’t call myself a singer. Guitar has always felt like my most natural form of expression, and singing is an extension of that for me. The two go hand in hand, but my voice often sounds sweet and innocent whereas my guitar parts are the opposite. I’ve always loved the juxtaposition between the two and it’s something I want to explore more in my songwriting".

Q. Apart from the singing side of things, how do you feel you have developed since you released your first single? 

A. "When I put out my first single, I was kind of just throwing all my creativity into one thing with no foresight into what it might bring. It was a lot of fun and I didn’t take it that seriously. So much has happened since then in a pretty short space of time, and there’s a lot more eyes on the project now. I’m building this world of what UGLY OZO is, and I’m still learning as I go and adding new pieces to the puzzle with everything I do. I’m a completely different person now compared to then, and everything feels a lot more confident and determined. It’s really cool to look back and start to see different chapters of UGLY OZO, and I’m so excited to keep making music and see where we take it next". 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?list=RDuZlfrChg2Tw&v=uZlfrChg2Tw

Q. What do you feel you have learned about ugly ozo & the industry as a whole over the last few years working on this project? 

A. "I think I’m constantly learning about UGLY OZO and what it is to me, and it’s always evolving. It’s a big encapsulation of everything that inspires me and is a huge outlet for me emotionally as well as creatively. Working in the industry has definitely shown me how hard it is to be an artist in this age though. You have to be so many things, and be the best at all of those things all the time. There’s so much ground to cover as an artist and it’s pretty relentless, although I have an amazing team around me and I’m definitely lucky to have them on the ground running with me". 

Q. How are you feeling about bringing the EP on tour? Are there any tracks you're particularly excited to play live? 

A. "Our current favourite song to play live is ‘jackpot’. It’s so fun live and a bit cheeky, and people have been really digging it. ‘overkill’ is another favourite too, because I get to slag off my ex boyfriend to strangers. We’re mainly just so excited to get to play these songs to new audiences, it’ll be our first proper tour and it’s with our label mates thistle., so it’s gonna be a lot of fun".