Ugly Season

Ugly Season
Studio album by Perfume Genius
Released	June 17, 2022
Genre	Chamber pop baroque pop industrial [1]
Length	52:18
Label	Matador
Producer	Blake Mills
Perfume Genius chronology
Set My Heart on Fire Immediately (2020) Ugly Season (2022) Glory (2025)
Singles from Ugly Season
"Eye in the Wall" Released: September 13, 2019 [2] "Pop Song" Released: March 24, 2022 [3]

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]

Short film

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

Ugly Season ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
AnyDecentMusic?	7.5/10 [7]
Metacritic	79/100 [8]
Review scores
Source	Rating
Beats Per Minute	80% [5]
Clash	8/10 [9]
Exclaim!	7/10 [10]
Gigwise	[11]
The Line of Best Fit	8/10 [1]
NME	[4]
Paste	8.4/10 [12]
Pitchfork	8.6/10 [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

Ugly Season on year-end lists

Publication	#	Ref.
Paste	23	[16]
Pitchfork	26	[17]
PopMatters	43	[18]
Under the Radar	69	[19]

Track listing

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.	Title	Music	Length
1.	"Just a Room"	Hadreas Mills Wyffels	3:30
2.	"Herem"	Hadreas Mills	7:21
3.	"Teeth"	Hadreas	4:13
4.	"Pop Song"	Hadreas	5:05
5.	"Scherzo"	Wyffels	3:51
6.	"Ugly Season"	Hadreas	4:40
7.	"Eye in the Wall"	Hadreas Mills Wyffels	8:42
8.	"Photograph"	Hadreas	4:41
9.	"Hellbent"	Hadreas Mills	6:42
10.	"Cenote"	Hadreas	3:33
Total length:			52:18

Personnel

• Perfume Genius – vocals, synthesizer (1, 3, 6–10), piano (1, 10)
• Blake Mills – production, mixing, bass (3, 7), bass drum (8), celesta (1, 2), chimes (3), clarinet (3, 5, 6), drum machine (2), synth guitar (2), drums (4), electric piano (1), guitar (2-4, 6–9), harmonium (1, 2, 10), Mellotron (2, 8), percussion (4, 6, 8), piano (1-4), synthesizer (3, 4), drum programming (7)
• Alan Wyffels – additional vocals (4), chimes (3, 4), flute (2), piano (3-5), synthesizer (7, 8)
• Rob Moose – strings, string arrangement (1)
• Sam Gendel – saxophone (2-4, 8)
• Matt Chamberlain – drums (7-9)
• Joseph Lorge – mixing, engineering
• Patricia Sullivan – mastering
• Andrew J.S. – art direction
• Nicasio Torres – paintings

Charts

Chart performance for Ugly Season

Chart (2022)	Peak position
UK Independent Albums (OCC) [20]	39

References

1. 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. Clarke, Patrick (June 16, 2022). "Perfume Genius - Ugly Season review: a bold statement that rewards the open-minded". NME . Retrieved June 18, 2022.
5. 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. "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.