By Gabby McIlhinney
DJ Gabby Mack, host of Fish Food, sat down with rock duo Olivia Osby and Avsha Weinberg from Lowertown.
After nearly three years in the making, Lowertown’s new album Ugly Duckling Union comes out May 22, and if you ask them, it’s more than ready to exist outside of their heads.
“I can actually listen to it recreationally now and not cringe at my own artistic output,” Avsha laughs. “Which is usually the case if you’re listening too soon after you make it.”
The record sat with them for a long time, being written, reworked, and eventually finished months ago. A big shift this time around was going fully DIY again, recording in Avsha’s basement.
“We haven’t done an album completely ourselves, at our own whim, since the very first album we did.” Avsha says. “We didn’t have a time constraint, we didn’t have any outside people needing anything from us. It was completely pure creativity… We’d play when we wanted, stop when we didn’t.”
You can hear it in the current singles, too. The looseness and lack of pressure feels closer to their earlier work with added self-awareness.
That freedom also led to more experimentation. Avsha sings more on this record, something that came naturally once the expectations disappeared.
“There’s definitely less strict guidelines of what our roles were,” Liv says. “In a really beautiful way.”
“The lack of constraints allowed us to fall back on something that we didn’t necessarily have as much experience with,” Avsha adds. “We got to actually have fun and explore and build our friendship through making the album.”
Even though they’ve been in New York City for a while now, its influence is still unfolding in their music.
“We’ve been here for five years, but it’s definitely changed our relationship with music,” Liv says. “Everything’s very fast paced… More comparative. Your taste and what you make is influenced by your environment.”
Their last album, I Love To Lie, leaned into that immediacy, the grit of the city, and New York’s rich punk scene. But Ugly Duckling Union takes a more reflective approach to city living.
“Now… we get to actually see how it has sat with us and how we’ve changed and processed these things,” Avsha explains.
When asked about the album’s lyrical subject matter, Liv mentions how “there is a theme of the gray area of human nature and the self.” She notes how the older you get and the more you mature, your understanding of the world becomes less black and white, with “a lot more nuance to everything.”
Liv also talks about morality, self-perception, and confronting the “shadow self,” the parts of yourself that are harder to face. However, it’s not all about the dark parts.
“I think there’s a lot of lightness,” she adds. “We wanted to be funny. Silly. That’s who we are, and it hasn’t always shown up in our music.”
This ties directly into the theme of community that unites the Ugly Duckling Union. In terms of writing, Liv and Avsha have tapped into writing from a place of joy and community. Liv adds, “That’s come from playing shows and seeing the positive effects of music and how that can bring people together.”
“We want to make a place for our fans,” Avsha says. “If they start as fans online to come to shows and to meet new people, to meet new friends.”
It’s something they experienced firsthand growing up in Atlanta’s scene, especially around Georgia State University’s college radio community.
I jumped in here to talk about WKDU and how similar it feels being able to connect a community through music. It truly is a beautifully rewarding thing!!
A lot of the album’s influence came from what they were listening to on tour. They specifically chose music that could stretch across endless midwest drives.
“We were listening to a ton of acoustic country, instrumental guitar music. Elliot Smith, always.” Liv says.
“Blaze Foley, John Fahey, Mississippi John Hurt, John Prime. I’m gonna throw a lot of John’s in there,” Avsha chimes in. “When you’re touring the states, it can make you feel very sentimental in a way that can make nine hours pass by in a flash.”
Like any band sitting on unreleased music, their favorite tracks shift constantly, but a few standouts currently shine through.
“‘Echo of Desire’ has always been really special to me,” Avsha says, describing how its meaning changed alongside a relationship ending. “I’m so excited for people to hear that song, because both instrumental and the vocal were written on such a whim… It’s something that speaks to me so much.”
Liv’s pick is also one of the heavier tracks.
“Mine changes a lot. I never get tired of ‘Anything Good Takes Blood’… It’s a different song than anything Avsha and I’ve ever written… It makes me feel unsettled in a way that I really like.”
And then, almost as an aside:
“I also love ‘DIPSH*T.’”
“Yeah, I’m so excited to play that live,” Avsha adds immediately. “That’s gonna be a live hit. I can feel it.”
Their upcoming tour starts April 28 right here in Philadelphia, and they’re clearly hyped about it.
“From the age of 18, we have been on the road most of the time,” says Avsha. “When we’re static too long, it can feel very jarring. We are definitely both at that place where it’s time to be on the road for a long time, to know exactly what we’re supposed to be doing every day… to play music to people… see new cities.”
“lt feels time,” he continues. “And it’s very fitting that we’re starting in Philly, because that’s one of my favorite places to play. The audience there is one of the most understanding… They listen to support acts. They’re there to watch and be a part of something.”
Liv adds, “Feeling the direct relationship to music and effort you put into it, how it connects to other people, I think that’s a beautiful thing to see firsthand.”
As we wrap, I ask what they want to say to Philly ahead of the tour kickoff.
“I love you, Philly,” Liv says, without hesitation.
“Forever and ever,” Avsha adds.
“April 28th,” Liv continues. “Go crazy stupid.”
Ugly Duckling Union drops next month on May 22. Thank you to Liv and Avsha for taking the time to speak with me! Tune into Fish Food, Wednesdays 4-5pm to hear all of the best new indie rock music from Lowertown and more.
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***All photos taken from @lowrtown on Instagram.