U.G.L.Y. by Dan Bauer

U.G.L.Y. by Dan Bauer is an alternative pop-rock bop with strong late-90’s-early 00’s influence. If you like Beck or Bare Naked Ladies, you will probably dig Dan Bauer. The acoustic guitar tone in the opening is nice and bright like in most pop songs, but still has some nice fullness to it that really hits the older alternative influence on the head. Bauer’s first vocal line immediately pulls you in with the high note at the end of the phrase. The delay on “happy” is also an attention grabber. Then the beat comes in with solid bass guitar, and the handclaps really add to the groove of the song. The sound of the kick drum is also awesome. A little bit before Bauer comes in at the start of the first verse, there is a little comedic moment where you can hear him coughing to clear his throat. The bright piano really picks up the song in the second verse, and has some great riffs in the background if you listen closely. The slides in the bass are tasty. All of the backup vocal parts are interesting and fit in very well. The string arrangement in the bridge is really fantastic, and a little reminiscent of Yellowcard. The effect placed on the mix after the bridge creates a nice dip in energy and dynamics, which makes for a great swooping moment where the strings and backup vocals come back in for the high energy ending of the song. 

The great writing from Dan Bauer combined with the quirky production ideas create a really catchy song that is worth listening to over and over.