Reggae 360

💥 ALBUM REVIEW! 💥

After two years of anticipation, Bumpin Uglies dropped their 7th epic new record, Mid-Atlantic Dub. Most of the songs were written during the pandemic lock-down, so they have soulful and fun messages that many people can relate to having gone through that life changing time themselves. With a majority of the songs being produced by Brandon Haresty (lead singer, writer, guitarist, and creator of Bumpin Uglies) and Howi Spangler, ( lead singer and founder of Ballyhoo!) it is chock full of 13 tracks that flow effortlessly from one to another. I feel like the Uglies Nation (the Bumpin Uglies fan group) and soon-to-be fans alike will be blown away by every song and won't help but want to listen to it from start to finish every time. There are many tracks in this album that resonate for me in a way few songs do. I can only imagine what tracks other people will listen to, gravitate towards, and genuinely relate to like I did. As hard of a choice as it is, because the whole album rocks, my top three tracks that I want to talk about are Hold It In, Healthy Competition, and One Day At A Time.

​Right out the gate, I have to talk about a tune that many Bumpin Uglies fans can relate to, Hold It In. At its core, this is a classic smoking w**d song. But this jam is much more than that. It's a song full of good vibes and powerful instrumentals. From the big horns that kick in right at the beginning to the funky organ-style keys that are layered throughout, the cap of this great tune comes at the end in the form of solos from bongos, horns, keys, and a ripping guitar solo. It shows the extreme talent of all the different members of the band.

​Up next is Healthy Competition. This song, at its core, is about bands just trying to make it in the industry and how every band goes about it in different ways. It’s something many fans don’t get to see often but know it exists. The lyrics talk about how the industry is very cut-throat, but at the end of the day most bands are just trying to help each other out. Despite the fact that every band can't make it, they all pursue that dream together. This level of competition that coincides with the support is something that is seen heavily in this genre of music. The fact that it has lyrical features from Howi Spangler and Matthew Roads (singer and guitarist from Tropidelic) shows that healthy competition creates great music.

The final track I have to talk about would be One Day At A Time. This song is raw in multiple ways. It's purely acoustic with just Brandon playing guitar and singing. The vocal aspect of the song has layered overdubbing during the chorus and different powerful moments in the song. This gives it an extra boost which creates a sense of passion behind Brandon’s words. The lyrics within the song are Brandon’s way of expressing his faults, but not letting those faults be who he is. The message I hear for the listener is we all have problems and things to work on within ourselves, but we can’t make those negatives be the thing that defines us. But to learn from those faults you need to literally take it one day at a time.

​I was fortunate enough to pull Brandon aside to ask him some questions about the album.

Q: I'm sure it's a tough answer but what are some of your favorite tracks off the album and why?

A: I'm sure it's a tough question, but what are some of your favorite tracks off the album and why? Man it’s hard to say but if I had to choose I’d say Trouble, No Love and You Don’t Gotta Die. I love dub and I think Trouble has a great dub vibe to it while not feeling overproduced. No Love is such a strong hook and the flow of the lyrics is great, plus the little stranger boys kill their feature. You don’t gotta die is a super fun guitar riff and also has a great flow to it vocally. All three are also a lot of fun to play live.


Q: During the recording process was there anything that stands out in your memory?

A: What sort of fun or unexpected things happened during the recording process? We recorded the bulk of this record in my basement with our producer Howi and that was really neat. I did all the guitars by myself which I had never done, but it was a lot of fun and a really enjoyable process. It’s been a lot of fun learning more about the production process and getting to a point where I feel comfortable doing it myself.


Q: I noticed the tracks flow really well from one to another, was there a plan for that when you started developing the album?

A: I noticed the tracks flow seamlessly from one to another, was that plan for when
you started developing the album or did it happen organically? Yes, absolutely. I obsess over track sequencing. The goal was to have the whole record flow together seamlessly. I love hip hop, and I feel like a lot of the best 90’s (best era) records are ones you can smoke a blunt too. I wanted that for this record.

Q: What do you hope people get out of this new music?

A: What do you hope people get out of this new music? I just want to put Bumpin Uglies on everyone’s radar, and if we’re already on their radar, I want that blip to be bigger. We’ve been doing this for years and I think we’re firing on all cylinders right now. I think this is the best record we’ve ever done, and I think people who are fans of the genre will absolutely love it. And when they do, i want them to come to a show, because we’re even better live.

I have to say this is my favorite record that Bumpin Uglies have put out. Every song has a great vibe when you listen to them individually. But when playing it from start to finish, it creates an even better experience, almost like the band is taking you on their own musical journey. Mid-Atlantic Dub is now available everywhere you can find music so give it spin and experience the 13 track adventure!

-Jared Lafosse-Baker

Already missing . HUGE performances from legends like got us wishing we were back!

📸 -

Put a smile on your face with the debut single from the homies ! 😊

This song had buzzing on their podcast. Check it out to see why! Link in stories!

You’re stranded on an island (not the worst thing ever), you have only one album to choose from that you’ll be stranded with.

Which album will you choose?

☀️ 🤔 😎