We’ve worn them, we’ve waged wars on them, and now we can listen to them. Ugly Jumper are the latest in emo music you can rock your socks off to. Hailing from Liverpool, we’re exciting to see what these Northerners have to offer us.

The band have shared some first mixes of upcoming tracks with us, and we really enjoyed having a listen. “If you’re an emo loser u will love us <3” is their bio, and we couldn’t agree more. The band consists of KC Hamer (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), Nat Owens (backing vocals and lead guitar), Andy Moores (bassist), and Loz Riley (drums).

“Ashes” is the first track gracing us from Ugly Jumper, and it’s definitely a soft anthem. It’s got this mix of easy listening acoustics with raw lyricism, and it’s gripping. It reminds me of the old post-grunge rock era of Alanis Morissette, but with a modern twist. There’s also an element of Cher’s “If I Could Turn Back Time”, but with a little extra drums and a little more melancholy.

Next we have “Bitter Bloodline”, which is more upbeat and has some of those underlying Paramore vibes come through. I can foresee this being a great live song, as it gives off that new energy that fans can dance and sing along to. It’s nice to have the contrast between the tracks, as it shows the band can do more than the one thing. How much they want to lean into it is up to them.

The final track is “Undercurrent”. It starts off with a nice rocky intro, before getting into the thick of it; an exploration of personal battles. I really enjoy the lyricism in this song. It has a lot of strong imagery, especially with lines like “catwalk complacency”. It delves in just enough, while also leaving a lot to be interpreted. I can see Ugly Jumper opening for a band like Hot Milk in the future, bringing their rocky undertones along for the ride.

The tracks are good. Really good. They showcase a lot about the band, and what they’re capable of - even in a short amount of time. I can see them really evolving to fill some genre gaps and finding their sound, while also revitalising some of those lost post-grunge elements. This band demonstrates that, even with a core sound, they can dip into a few different genres and make them work very well together. There’s some punky twists, some grunge, some emo, while also offering a nice mellow soft rock sound.

Reviewed by: Courtney Wallace

Score: 8/10

You can find Ugly Jumper on Instagram here.

Bandcamp: https://uglyjumper.bandcamp.com/

Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/ugly-jumper

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/Ugly-Jumper/100091264003738/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@uglyjumperband