The Philadelphia-based band UgLi has its foundation in the true D.I.Y. punk ethos, even if they don’t necessarily feel that their music fits that genre. With their new EP girldick. out today, the band’s frontwoman and songwriter Dylyn Durante spoke to us about the EP, their formation, touring and recording on a budget, doing the band while at work and community college, and more.
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Yeah, I guess the first thing I’ll just ask is how UgLi came to be?

So, yeah. I ran a…like, a D.I.Y punk venue for a couple of years with a few friends of mine, and, around that time, I think, I was going to a lot of shows and, obviously, we were having a lot of shows and, um, that was kind of, I guess, like, the…what drove me to want to, like, start a band. And then I met my drummer through there. We had like a different line-up for the first year or so, and the line-up that we have now I think was, like, officially together around, like, February of 2020, so like right before the pandemic, basically. And then the pandemic happened and we kind of went from there. So, we’ve…like, UgLi, as a band, as a whole, has been existent since like 2018, 2019, and then as this iteration and working on recording studio music, that has been probably in the last two or three years.

What about for yourself, getting into punk – because you mentioned running a D.I.Y. venue – and just, in general, becoming a musician beforehand? Like, were you self-taught? Were you formally trained or anything like that?

Self-taught, yeah. I don’t really…I’m like pretty bad when it comes to…like, I don’t know theory. I don’t know what most chords are, or time signatures even, really. My bassist is, like, really good with that kind of stuff; he went to school for music. So, usually he helps bridge the barrier of me, trying to explain what I’m doing using nonsense words, and then him, like, explaining it in a right way. I don’t know if I would necessarily identify myself or the music, really, with punk music. I feel like it’s something that gets thrown on us, but, like, I feel like most…I don’t know. Labels are difficult and confusing. I enjoy punk music, I have a lot of punk friends, [but] I’ve always felt a little more adjacent to that. Like, I don’t know. But, yeah, basically it all started in a D.I.Y. house venue, in a basement, more or less.

So, would you have learnt just from like doing tabs and stuff? Of trying to play the songs you like?

Yeah. Yeah, so I think when I first started playing guitar, I was a lot younger, and I would kind of try to figure shit out, in my room. Like, I definitely messed with tabs for a little while, at least, like, you know, in my beginning years. And I want to say, like, probably…I, like, picked it up and then, like, put it down a couple of times; like, I didn’t really play guitar for a lot of my later teenage years, and then I would pick it back up. But, I would say that by the time…like, the year or two leading up to starting the band, and getting back into playing guitar, I really just…I don’t know. I don’t really fixate or try to fixate on trying to learn other people’s songs too often; I always just kind of want to mess with my own stuff and just try to, like, figure out cool stuff to play. So, yeah, just really sitting on a guitar and seeing what I feel like sounds fun or interesting, and then going from there, I guess. I don’t know. I’m pretty bad with interviews! I never really know what to say! [Both laugh]

You’re doing great so far! So, talking about your new EP, then, girldick. Actually, I noticed [that was] the name of a punk band from New York. Was that coincidental or was it…?

I guess coincidental. Yeah, I don’t know. I’ve had the name and the idea for, like, a couple of years. The EP was mostly written…well, it pretty much…I think I started writing it in – God! – like, summer of 2021, maybe. I would say shortly after our album came out, is probably when I started working on it, and we started recording the record, I think, in like February of 2022, and then maybe over the course of a couple months, wrapped it up. I know we finished it up before we went on tour, last summer. So, yeah, probably between like February and May of 2022 was, like, the actual recording process.

So, how do you think this differs from… – you mentioned your album, FUCK – how do you think this one differs from that?

For one, I feel, personally, like a lot more rounded-out musician than I was when I wrote the album. I feel like I learned a lot, especially not being somebody that’s classically trained or has, like, a lot of technical musical knowledge. I feel like after playing those songs for so long, and then just being immersed with a lot of different, new music. Like, I feel like I’m always just trying to find random shit or, like, go to shows. I felt more inspired to kind of branch out. I feel like the lyrics are a lot stronger. Personally, I feel like I kind of really dived into a deeper end of my vulnerability, as far as laying stuff out. We messed around with tone a lot on the record, the new one. I feel like that felt different than before, where, like, I had never…like, recording a full-length studio album for the first time was a lot and a learning experience for sure, and I feel like…even, like, halfway through recording the album, we had, like, learnt so much and we became better at recording and as musicians, before it was even done. Because there’s just shit that, like, I don’t know, I guess you don’t really think about it until you’re, like, there and, like, recording’s expensive [Laughs], so it’s not like you can be like, “Oh, we learned this! We should go back and redo everything.” But, yeah, I would say, like, having past experience with recording in a studio setting helped a lot. Really kind of, like, fine-tuning a lot of the tone and textures and, like, the lyrics, and I was trying to also branch out with my singing voice, a little bit more. Like, I also never really intended or viewed myself as being a singer, and kind of just fell into it, so I feel like, like anything else, as time goes on, you get better. So, I think the EP was me trying to mess around with that more and see, like, what else I can build upon with my vocal range and abilities. I feel a lot…I feel really confident that the EP is, like…it feels like a mature step forward. Like, I feel like…I feel a little bit more honed-in on what it is that I’m doing and trying to articulate.

Yeah. Well, for whatever it’s worth to you, I found your original album, FUCK, to be very self-realised. The one thing that the press around girldick. is talking about is that kind of leap in maturity. But when I listen to FUCK it seems…I don’t know. Very self-realised; it doesn’t seem like a stumbling album, for whatever that’s worth to you. [Laughs] But what I was going to ask, do you think now, retrospectively, you might have wished to put out more singles or EPs before delving into a full-length album, or are you just kind of happy that you did it?

I think it was the perfect decision, honestly, for us. Because, like, for one, you know, it’s not the easiest thing to be an independent, like, small-time band, trying to even garner, you know, whatever it means to be successful. You know, there’s a lot of barriers in even trying to be an even halftime musician, like outside of the lens of, like, doing it just for fun or just for a hobby; and, like, trying to pursue it more substantially can be a lot. And I think having the ability, and getting through a full record during the pandemic, basically, gave us a little bit of an extra boost that we may have not had otherwise. Like, it was like a really weird time, where, like, even major recording artists, as well as more, like, indie artists, like…nobody was doing anything because you couldn’t, right? And, same as us, we didn’t even start really meeting up in person, I think, until like five or six months into the pandemic, and then, even that, it was like, really…you know, we had to, like, really take a lot of precautions and, like, minimise contact with other people, and basically make an exception to practice and songwrite. Even recording in the studio, there was, like, a lot of…only being one person in a certain room at a certain time, and, like, everybody’s masking and getting vaccines, when they were rolling out, and stuff like that. But, I feel like…yeah, I feel like it was the best opportunity for us. Like, maybe if the times were different, it probably would’ve been better to release some singles and go from there. We had the Demo EP out, which was released before my guitarist or my bassist had actually joined the band. But, yeah, the idea of kind of, like, singling out or doing smaller records is definitely a lot easier to do. [Laughs] Recording a full-length album is so much work that you don’t even realise…Yeah, I feel like every single step that we’ve taken so far has been, like, a massive learning experience into, like, what shit is like. But, yeah, I think it was probably the best decision for us. I mean, just the album got us from basically nowhere to whatever it is that this is now. You know, considering we haven’t even dropped a new song or single off the new record yet. The tour and all the really cool shows we’ve done and, like, all the random write-ups and other little things, you know, like, random opportunities and things, have all been solely based off that. So, yeah, I think it was the best decision, probably.

Yeah. Do you think touring around and stuff has been…I don’t know. Have people been very receptive to what you’ve been doing, when you’ve been going around? Because, I don’t know, like you were saying, it is just kind of the one album and I’m assuming, like, a lot of people who are turning up to shows may or may not be familiar with you, but do you think when you play a show, the reception’s always been positive?

Em, I think so. I mean, I hope, right? Yeah, like, I don’t know, I’m never really sure how people take things, I mean short of based on what they tell me. But, yeah, I think one of the coolest things, for me at least, is, like, you know, playing a couple of different of venues that I like to go to, as a patron, or, like, have seen really cool shows there, or, like, you know, have known have really cool shows there, and I think the tour over the summer has been really eye-opening, as to what things can be like. I mean, I tried to explain this to a friend before, where it’s like playing outside of the city – especially the further away you can get – felt so much more honest, as far as reception was, because, like, there’s always going to be friends, you know? If you’re local, your friends are going to be there, or, like, somebody that you know is going to be there and people know that you’re from there, so it always feels sort of like a cushion, where it’s like even if you may not have played super great, I feel like it’s more likely that you’re going to hear good shit. But, like, playing in a random, abandoned, warehouse, D.I.Y. spot in the middle of fucking Wisconsin in the summer, where none of us had ever even been to Wisconsin, and people enjoying themselves and having a good time, felt a lot different, because they have absolutely zero obligation to be there. Like, you know, other bands are from there, they can stick around and watch them, they can also leave and come back. Like, they absolutely don’t have to say a single word to any of us, or come talk to us after the show, or anything at all, and to get random people in all these places that I’ve never even been before, to be like, “I like your music,” or there is a couple of times, on the road, that people told me…that people knew the music, even, which was, like, the most insane shit to me, ever. Like, seeing even just one person singing along to a song that I wrote in my bedroom, in the middle of the South or the Midwest, in places that I’ve never been and I don’t know anyone, and it’s, like, a random weeknight, and I’m, like, exhausted, and I’ve been eating like shit, and driving, like, ten hours a day, was, like, one of the most meaningful, grounding experiences of my life, I think. Like, it just felt really special. Like, I don’t know, I had never…it made me feel like maybe, you know, maybe this is worth something, I guess, to people or myself, even, more.

Do you still get…or did you ever have stage anxiety going up, or were you always confident on stage? And does playing away from your hometown kind of lessens that, in the sense that, do you feel more comfortable being on stage, where it’s like friends and family aren’t in the crowd?

So, I definitely used to get pretty severe stage anxiety. I don’t…I definitely still have it, maybe a little bit. I think one of the easiest things for me to mitigate that is I have a lot of hair. Like, what I used to do, you know, a few years ago, is I would wear sunglasses on stage all the time, and it was for literally no other reason – and sometimes even my downfall, in dark venues where I couldn’t see – as to, I didn’t have to make eye contact or know that I was making eye contact [Laughs] with other people! I think that’s something that I still even struggle with now, is singing, and, like, you know, sometimes when I sing, some of the lyrics that I write can be really personal and vulnerable and a little heavy at times, and it always feels super weird [Laughs] to, like, look into anybody’s eyes, or, like, make eye contact with anyone, while singing. Like, I don’t really feel like I’m a very loud or eccentric person in my day-to-day; I feel like I can pretty reserved, in a lot of ways, or shy, even. I think, on the road, I would say that maybe the stage anxiety was a little bit worse, at first, but after, like, four days, I think, you know, you just…it became so routine, playing a show every single night, and it was, you know: you wake up, you get food, you get cash, you drive, you stop somewhere, you drive, you get to the venue, you unload, you decompress if there’s time before the show, other bands play, you play, the show’s over, you pack your shit up, you throw it back in the van, you find a place to crash and sleep for the night, or you go out that night and then you go…or, like, whatever. It kind of just became this thing that I didn’t really think about anymore, which was kind of nice. Like, by the end, I feel like I had kind of just turned into a robot; not, like, in a bad way, but, like, in a way where there was so much muscle memory behind what I was doing…

It’s kind of automated.

Right, yeah. Like, I didn’t have to think about it; whether anxiety or thinking about what I had to sing or play, it kind of just came out. Like, I remember we played a show at [the Philadelphia music venue] Johnny Brenda’s with this band, A Giant Dog, and this other band, The Mary Veils, like five days after tour ended – and the tour was, like, seventeen or…somewhere between, like, seventeen and twenty shows, over the course of a couple of weeks – and I remember coming home, and, like, when we got to play back at home, it had felt so comfortable because, like, I had literally just being doing that every day, almost, for, like, weeks on end, throughout the summer, so it was just, like, we already knew what songs came next, like, we didn’t have to look at setlist, we didn’t have to look at each other and be like, “Oh, shit! What are we doing?” Even just, like, the random stage banter – which is always an awkward thing to try and incorporate when you…at least, I always feel that way; like, I never really knew what to say in-between – like, was just repeated, basically, over the course of the end of the tour. [Laughs] Where, like, I just found what I wanted to say, and what worked where, and, yeah, it became almost like a memorised script, in a way, of, like, knowing how I want to play the song and how, like…the energy that I’m going to feel behind it, and not feeling as fatigued from it, because shows can be exhausting, especially if you’re not playing as frequently or something, like, I feel like you can get off stage, and after your adrenaline falls, you get pretty beat.

Yeah. And one thing I thought was quite interesting – you were talking about, like, when you’re touring places you’ve never been before and people know your music and stuff – kind of going back to your EP, when you’re getting a little more personal with your music, do you ever think about, “Shit!” that random person possibly listening to it, or do you kind of just go, “I can’t think about that shit. I just have to write what’s true to me”?

What do you mean?

I don’t know. I’m trying to perceive it from your perspective.

Um-hum.

And I’m thinking if I was writing personal stuff – I’m pretty reserved – but I’m thinking, if I was writing personal stuff and someone was receptive to my music, when I’m then making the next album, I’d probably be thinking of that person. [Laughs] I’d probably be like, “Hmm!”, you know, I’m thinking of them listening to it. I don’t know. Maybe that’s just a me issue. [Laughs]

Yeah, no, I definitely think…I never…I don’t think I ever really think outside of my interior stuff; I think I got better at maybe articulating words and feelings, but I don’t think I ever – no offence to anybody that really enjoys the music, I guess [Laughs] – but I don’t think there’s every really a moment where I think outside…like, how somebody else would receive whatever it is that I’m doing, as opposed to how I’m receiving it, or something. Yeah, no, I don’t know. [Both laugh]

One thing that I wanted to ask was, I know the EP is produced by Dave Downham, and I know that you’ve worked with him previously. I was wondering what you feel that he adds to your music and your style, I guess?

I think Dave is a really, insanely talented engineer in every aspect. He’s also a very sweet guy. I feel like a thing that I noticed – again, because this was my first experience and, to my knowledge, everybody else’s first experience, being in a studio setting to record music in this way, kind of thing – was how much, like, little details can change the course of something, you know? And, like, how somebody’s outside perspective can really sort of take a song in a lot of different directions. I don’t know if a lot of people outside of bands or, you know, recording artists across pretty much all genres , short of maybe people that do it themselves, like, at home – like, I think it’s probably a little bit different, if you record yourself at home – but even then, like, you’re going to have to have somebody mix and master it, and even that can kind of change it a little bit; I mean, it’s not really going to change the structure but maybe a little bit, sonically, how it’s received. That person in the room, one way or the other, is usually going to influence the music in some way or not, you know? If they just shoot off a random idea to try something, or they’re like, “I want to see how this sounds. Can we do this?” or stuff like that. And I feel like…like, I know Dave’s been working in music for a really long time, like, he’s been in bands himself, he records constantly, like, they’ve had the studio forever. He teaches classes, even, I think at Camden Community College. And I think after recording the album with him, I felt like he had, like, a lot of really good just tips and pointers and, like, outlooks on things that I either had no knowledge of or didn’t really think of, because I didn’t have the context, and I feel like having him kind of shape…help us shape, like, the stuff that I had written out, felt like a lot more rounded out. It was just really cool to work in that way, like, collaboratively, I feel like.

Would you feel confident if you were to work with, say, other collaborators in the future, like other producers or mixers? Do you feel like you would be able to go, “No, this isn’t working,” or “I don’t get your vision”? Do you think it’s…Would you like to work with other collaborators, as well, or are you content to work with who you’ve worked with now, to go forward?

I think both. Like, I really like working with Dave. Also, there’s another engineer, Matt Weber, who works at Gradwell [House, where the EP was recorded], and we kind of worked with both of them. Like, Dave was kind of producing in that way, but Weber was there to kind of do some of the more physical engineering, and especially with, like, laying out our drums and everything, you know? And kind of guiding us in that way, too. But I also think it would be cool to, like, work with other people. I feel pretty confident that I’m able to say “No” when I don’t like things. Like, I feel like I’m always interested in other people’s input, and I like to be, like, you know, not the sole sculptor of the music, in a lot of ways. Like, it’s really fun – and other people have really good ideas – to let people, you know, move things in different directions, but there’s definitely also times where people are like, “Oh, I have this idea,” and I’m kinda just like, “Ugh! I don’t know!” So, yeah, I don’t think that would make a difference. I’m pretty sure there’s definitely some stuff, even recording the new EP, that I was like, “Yeah, I don’t want to do that” or whatever.

So, what’s the plans, then, for, I guess, the immediate future? I assume you will be touring the EP. Is there any plans for future releases, or are you just kind of like, “We’re just focusing on this for the meantime”?

So, yeah, I mean we’re getting a bunch of shows together, now that the record is done, and we’re kind of ready to move along. Definitely going to tour again. We’ll, like, tour probably in the summer, I guess, like, post-release. And, you know, I wrote another EP, basically towards the end of tour and after getting home, so I’d really like to also record that one and start moving forward, and I feel like I’ve been writing a lot recently, so we definitely have a lot of material to move forward and work towards. I think, like, all the things that we got to do gave me a lot more creative perspective and also, I guess, gave me a little bit more of a, like…what’s the word? Made me want to work more on music. But, yeah, I think, really, we take shit week-by-week, for sure, like as much as we can; like, there’s always so much planning out ahead, but, like, you kind of never really know how anything’s going to go.

Sure.

But, yeah, I mean there’s definitely a lot more music that I would like to get through and put out. I feel like I get itchy, in that way, where I’m already ready to, like, start fleshing out the new stuff and, like, at least recorded-wise, we’ve already been playing a lot of the newer songs on our own at least, and, you know, I’m already ready to start playing those songs live more. And, yeah, I feel it’s never…it’s like an endless hunger, it feels like, sometimes; where it’s like, you work on songs, and you finish them, and then you write them, and then you get them together with the band, and then you’re, like, super-amped on it, because it’s new and it’s fun and you’re like, “This is the best shit that I ever did,” and then you record it, and then, post-recording, you hear it in this new way for the first time, because it’s like a recorded thing, and then you’re playing it more, and then you’re kind of like, “Oh, I wanna, like…I’m over this. I want to do more,” and then you, like, write the new stuff, and then you’re like, “Alright. Let’s focus on this, now,” and, “Oh, well, now this is the best thing that I’ve ever done,” and it just feels like this endless cycle of that; where, like, I’m very much ready to move past this EP, which feels a little goofy because it hasn’t come out yet! [Both laugh]

Everyone should listen to it! [Laughs]

Yeah! I mean, we finished recording it…by the time it will come out, it had been recorded already for, like, a year, you know? At some point, all of these songs have been played live, like, multiple times. Some of them, we’ve been playing live for…I think the first time we played the new songs was December 2021, so they’ve been kicking around. Like, when we toured, we played at least two or three new songs every night.

Sorry, do you ever look at audience reception to songs before considering releasing them? Because I’ve talked to other artists who’ve done that, and I always find that kind of dicey, because, you know, these songs that may be great are kind of at the whim of the reception of an audience on a particular night, do you get what I mean?

I mean, I think it’s, like, more influence in that way. I don’t know that there’s ever been a scenario that we’ve written a song, and performed it, and it didn’t go over enough that we felt like…I feel like the songs kind of usually don’t make it out of the gate, if anything. Like, it’s usually kind of our own reception of it. Like, there’s been songs that we’ve written and finished, and kind of just been like, “You know what? Like, yeah, I don’t know. I don’t really know if I want to play this anymore” or whatever, and then they kind of just disappear into the ether. But I think, in other ways, I think playing the EP songs at different times and seeing how a crowd reacts to it definitely perpetuates which ones we want to play live more or which ones we want to like, “Oh, maybe this should be the single, because this seems to be the one that people seem to like to move around to” or…yeah, I don’t know. I don’t think so. I don’t think we’ve ever…Maybe we’ve just gotten lucky and the songs have never been bad enough that we’re like, “Oh, fuck! We can’t record this! Like, this is terrible!” Or maybe we’re making mistakes, who knows? [Both laugh]

Are you guys doing music full-time, or do you have to kind of do the touring and the recording around other, like, jobs or other…just life in general?

Yeah. Definitely, none of us do it full-time, as much as we would probably like to. You know, everyone has jobs or other obligations, outside of it. I definitely feel like I take on a pretty significant chunk of the workload of the music, which definitely affects my schedule maybe a little bit more, as far as just, like, coordinating stuff, and being the songwriter, and, like, you know, social media things or, you know, just the general, like…we don’t have management or, like, a label or really, like, anything, so, like, most of the, you know, not playing shows aspect is usually kind of in my hands. But, yeah, my drummer works a job, my guitarist works a job, my bassist works a job, I work jobs. I also go to school, part-time, at a community college. You know, we all have other shit in our lives too, I guess. Like, I…Yeah, I mean, it’s just I don’t think anybody would be opposed to if we got enough of a break that we were able to step away, I don’t think that wouldn’t be the case, but, you know, until that happens, I’ve got to pay rent to be able to keep a roof over my head.

So, do you find touring, then, you have to schedule around everyone’s schedule? I mean, that must be really hard, in the meantime.

Yeah, it’s not, uh…It definitely can be a lot, in that way. One of the reasons that we toured in the summer, specifically, was because I go to school, and I was like, “I could, like, take off time from school, or I could take off a semester to do this,” but it just made the most sense. And, yeah, I mean there’s a limited amount that we can really tour, because either being able to take off a significant amount of work is one thing, but also having the means to be able to afford to take off a significant amount of work is another thing, where it’s like you’re gambling the permanence of whatever job that you’re working or whatever, and also juggling the fact that, “Oh, fuck! I’m, like, out of work now for these next couple of weeks, so I’m going to have to figure out rent when I get home,” and all that stuff, you know? We did pretty well on tour, I feel like, but definitely not enough to come home and pay the bills or anything. You, at best, break even, I feel, as a successful tour, and you, hopefully, don’t lose money or whatever. But, yeah, we made it work. I think touring was another learning experience, where we definitely bit off a little bit bigger than maybe we should have for, like, a really first tour like that. Like, I definitely had people try to be like, “Hey, you know, that’s a lot to do for your first real tour. Like, you know, it’s going to be exhausting.” You know, some of those drives we probably could’ve planned a little bit better; some of the cities towards the end would be eight hours away from each other, if they weren’t…if you never stopped for gas, at all. So, like, an eight -hour drive is really like an eleven-hour drive, it feels like. And doing that, days-on-days on end, and having load-in times and shit, like, and shows usually run late, it definitely was a lot, for sure, and I feel like we got really lucky, as far as our sleeping situations, where we got to crash for free at a lot of people’s places over the course of touring, but sometimes that wouldn’t be an option, and you’d have to bite the bullet and get a motel or whatever, or shit like that. But, yeah, I mean…fuck, I’m sorry! I feel like I’m rambling! I don’t really remember what the question was anymore!

No, no! I was just asking, yeah, just going around other people’s schedules, but I think you’ve answered the question perfectly.

OK, cool.

But, yeah, I mean it’s just…I don’t know, just a difficult thing. Even like, I’m in Ireland, which is such a small country, comparatively, and even touring here can be insane for a band. Yeah, I guess the final thing I’ll just ask, is would you guys be interested, if youse had the means, of touring internationally, like maybe doing Europe or Canada or anywhere like that?

Yeah, I think, totally. I mean, it’s not something we haven’t talked about before. It definitely feels like, depending on where. Like, there’s a lot more factors involved. Like, touring maybe, like, Canada or, you know, like, Mexico, which are, I guess, the closest places, is probably the most realistic, as far as you can still drive there. I mean, you’d have to get passports, and I have no idea what’s involved, where if there’s paperwork you have fill out. I imagine visas and shit, and then, like, I don’t know. Like, even small things, like getting paid out at a show in a different currency is probably confusing, right? Or if, you know, you get a cheque from Canada. Like, I don’t know. Can you cash that?

I think these are the details that you have to know but no-one really talks about.

Yeah, and then as far as playing in, like, Europe, or Asia, or Australia, even, I think, like, I’m sure flights are a huge barrier, right? Because, like, flights are expensive when you don’t have literally anything to bring at all. And then I imagine you have to bring all your stuff, which is probably insane, as far as cost-effective-wise. And then, I’ve never left the U.S. in my entire life; like, I don’t even have a passport, so I think the culture shock, even, of being outside of here – especially somewhere so far – and then, like, you know, even language barriers or, yeah, getting around, even. You have to figure out, like, transports and [Laughs] a lot of places drive on the other side of the road or whatever. Like, I think it would be really cool. If there was any sort of way that it felt feasible for us to do it, I would do it in a heartbeat. Like, touring is one of the coolest, most fun things I’ve ever done in my life, I feel like. Like, it’s just…it just felt really fulfilling, and it’s also, like, you know, you get to travel, you’re in different places, you get to meet people that you may have never met in your life otherwise, because you’re just in this random place, at the same place, at the same time. And I think, like, yeah, I mean, being able to just play music to three people in a country that I’m not from feels probably, like, so crazy, I imagine. I think if there’s any chance that we would pull it off, we definitely would and will. I guess we’ll see.

[Laughs] Que sera, sera.  

Yeah.

Is there anything you’d like to add before we finish?

I don’t know! [Both laugh] I’m excited about the new EP. I really hope people like it and listen to it. I feel like it’s a new…I feel like it feels like a new take on our music, and I’m excited. We’ve had, you know…I feel like the band, even on such a microscopic scale, it feels like we are, you know, like we’re just a local band in Philly, just like most other bands are, like we haven’t really, you know, broken any barriers to my knowledge. I feel like I’ve had – personally, and then just with the band – so many cool experiences that I never thought I would have ever have gotten to. Like, I never thought we would even be able to do the shit that we did, which feels like more than enough. So, I’m really excited to see if that’s built upon with this new release. Like, I’m really excited at the idea of touring again, and what that’s going to feel like, touring for a second time, or, like, seeing what it’s like to, like…I guess I’m really curious to see people’s interactions with the music, once the new record has been released and they’ve been able to listen to it, and see if that changes or something. I don’t know. Yeah, I don’t know. I’m super stoked that we get to do anything at all. Music is one of the few things that really makes me feel genuinely happy and fulfilled, and I’m just stoked that I’m able to do it at any capacity, and that even anybody cares enough [Laughs] to show up, I guess. It feels special.

Thank you for your time. I appreciate it.

Thank you.

UgLi’s new EP girldick. is out today. You can purchase a copy here. You can follow the band on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube.

Aaron Kavanagh

Aaron Kavanagh is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Post-Burnout. His writing can also be found in the Irish Daily Star, Buzz.ie, Totally Dublin, The GOO, Headstuff, New Noise Magazine, XS Noize, DSCVRD and more.