Ugly Season is the sixth studio album by American singer-songwriter Perfume Genius, released June 17, 2022, by Matador Records.[4] The album was originally composed as a musical accompaniment for choreographer Kate Wallich's contemporary dance piece The Sun Still Burns Here.[5]

Ugly Season
An abstract painting of a person with well-defined eyes and a mouth, otherwise made of broad, whispy brush strokes in multiple colors including beige, cream, and purple, which resemble smoke.
Studio album by
ReleasedJune 17, 2022
Genre
Length52:18
LabelMatador
ProducerBlake Mills
Perfume Genius chronology
Set My Heart on Fire Immediately
(2020)
Ugly Season
(2022)
Singles from Ugly Season
  1. "Eye in the Wall"
    Released: September 13, 2019[2]
  2. "Pop Song"
    Released: March 24, 2022[3]

Short film

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The album was accompanied by a short film titled Pygmalion's Ugly Season, directed by visual artist Jacolby Satterwhite, featuring the music of the album and an appearance by Perfume Genius.[6]

Reception

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Ugly Season ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic?7.5/10[7]
Metacritic79/100[8]
Review scores
SourceRating
Beats Per Minute80%[5]
Clash8/10[9]
Exclaim!7/10[10]
Gigwise          [11]
The Line of Best Fit8/10[1]
NME     [4]
Paste8.4/10[12]
Pitchfork8.6/10[13]
Slant Magazine     [14]
Under the Radar          [15]

According to the review aggregator Metacritic, Ugly Season received "generally favorable reviews" based on a weighted average score of 79 out of 100 from 18 critic scores.[8]

Year-end lists

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Ugly Season on year-end lists
Publication # Ref.
Paste 23 [16]
Pitchfork 26 [17]
PopMatters 43 [18]
Under the Radar 69 [19]

Track listing

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All lyrics are written by Mike Hadreas, except "Scherzo" by Alan Wyffels and "Eye in the Wall" by Blake Mills

Ugly Season track listing
No.TitleMusicLength
1."Just a Room"
  • Hadreas
  • Mills
  • Wyffels
3:30
2."Herem"
  • Hadreas
  • Mills
7:21
3."Teeth"Hadreas4:13
4."Pop Song"Hadreas5:05
5."Scherzo"Wyffels3:51
6."Ugly Season"Hadreas4:40
7."Eye in the Wall"
  • Hadreas
  • Mills
  • Wyffels
8:42
8."Photograph"Hadreas4:41
9."Hellbent"
  • Hadreas
  • Mills
6:42
10."Cenote"Hadreas3:33
Total length:52:18

Personnel

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Charts

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Chart performance for Ugly Season
Chart (2022) Peak
position
UK Independent Albums (OCC)[20] 39

References

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  1. ^ a b Amen, John (June 15, 2022). "With Ugly Season, Perfume Genius displays his commitment to discovery". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved June 18, 2022.
  2. ^ Cook-Wilson, Winston (September 13, 2019). "Perfume Genius Releases Eye in the Wall, Announces New Dance Piece". Spin. Retrieved June 18, 2022.
  3. ^ Brimstin, Chelsea (March 24, 2022). "Perfume Genius shares video for new single "Pop Song", announces upcoming album Ugly Season". Indie88. Retrieved June 18, 2022.
  4. ^ a b Clarke, Patrick (June 16, 2022). "Perfume Genius - Ugly Season review: a bold statement that rewards the open-minded". NME. Retrieved June 18, 2022.
  5. ^ a b Hakimian, Rob (June 17, 2022). "Album Review: Perfume Genius - Ugly Season". Beats Per Minute. Retrieved June 18, 2022.
  6. ^ Aubrey, Elizabeth (June 19, 2022). "Watch Perfume Genius' surreal new short film to accompany album release". NME. Retrieved June 20, 2022.
  7. ^ "Ugly Season by Perfume Genius reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved June 18, 2022.
  8. ^ a b "Ugly Season by Perfume Genius Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. Retrieved June 18, 2022.
  9. ^ Stokes, Gem (June 15, 2022). "Perfume Genius - Ugly Season". Clash. Retrieved June 18, 2022.
  10. ^ Bell, Kaelen (June 16, 2022). "Perfume Genius Finds Strange Beauty in Ugly Season". Exclaim!. Retrieved June 18, 2022.
  11. ^ Harbron, Lucy (June 14, 2022). "Album Review: Perfume Genius - Ugly Season". Gigwise. Retrieved June 18, 2022.
  12. ^ King, Pat (June 16, 2022). "Perfume Genius Journeys Far Beyond Expectation with Ugly Season". Paste. Retrieved June 18, 2022.
  13. ^ Felsenthal, Daniel (June 16, 2022). "Perfume Genius: Ugly Season Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved June 18, 2022.
  14. ^ Mason, Eric (June 13, 2022). "Perfume Genius Ugly Season Review: A Bold Dissection of Dance As a Form". Slant Magazine. Retrieved June 18, 2022.
  15. ^ Nguyen, Alex (June 17, 2022). "Perfume Genius: Ugly Season (Matador)". Under the Radar. Retrieved June 18, 2022.
  16. ^ King, Pat (November 28, 2022). "The 50 Best Albums of 2022". Paste. Retrieved December 8, 2022.
  17. ^ Bua, Jane (December 6, 2022). "The 50 Best Albums of 2022". Pitchfork. Retrieved December 6, 2022.
  18. ^ Savio, Michael (December 6, 2022). "The 80 Best Albums of 2022". PopMatters. Retrieved December 7, 2022.
  19. ^ "Under the Radar's Top 100 Albums of 2022". Under the Radar. December 23, 2022. Retrieved December 26, 2022.
  20. ^ "Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved June 24, 2022.