Stepping into a recording studio from a different creative background usually comes with hesitation, but skuzland treat the shift as an opportunity to discard whatever armor they were carrying. The project, formed by Jazzelle, known to many under the moniker Ugly Worldwide, alongside Robot MoonJuice, has arrived with its debut EP, OTW. Released through Republic Records, the seven-track set functions as the pair's initial collective statement, built from an impulse to turn personal vulnerability into a shared space.
Every selection across OTW was penned entirely by Jazzelle and Robot MoonJuice, keeping the perspective tightly focused on their own lives. To help realize the sound behind those words, they brought in Zach Fogarty as executive producer. Fogarty has spent the past few years assembling an eye-catching discography through his studio work with artists like Vince Staples, A$AP Rocky, and Fousheé, musicians who consistently pull traditional formats in unconventional directions. His technical presence gives the record steady footing, balancing the raw, unvarnished intentions of the lyrics with seasoned production instincts.
Stepping up to the microphone was brand new territory for Jazzelle, yet the process turned out to be surprisingly instinctual. Jazzelle has described writing the EP as an internal exploration that unlocked fresh creative terrain, explaining that the songs felt strangely familiar, as if the material had already been waiting beneath the surface. The central aim for Jazzelle is to encourage listeners to look inward and address their own emotional realities without fear, presenting openness as a way to access parts of the self that often remain hidden away.
Robot MoonJuice approached the recording sessions with an aligned commitment to emotional candor, framing OTW as an offering to their inner child. That perspective threads through the tracklist, where themes of endurance, shelter, and navigating tough circumstances recur continually. Robot MoonJuice views the collection as an honest balance of struggle and recovery, capturing the work required to endure low points and locate optimism when things look grim. Above everything, the songs speak toward people who feel shut out by conventional social groups, with Robot MoonJuice maintaining that the world of skuzland offers a room where everyone belongs.
The release strategy has placed considerable weight on visual components to match the music. Six of the EP's seven songs are accompanied by individual lyric videos, while focus track WALK LiKE ME arrived alongside its own dedicated visualizer. That track served as the third and final teaser ahead of the full EP, building on the groundwork established by two previous singles that showcased contrasting sides of their work.
One of those earlier releases, GiRL AMERiCA, engaged directly with current events, having been written immediately after the 2022 decision that overturned Roe v. Wade. The song captured the duo's sharp reaction to the political environment sparked by the ruling. The other single, STEREO, leaned into their visual identity through a clip directed by Luis Villanueva, whose credits include music videos for Noah Cyrus and Saint Levant.
Those introductory releases set up a busy summer of live performances before the full record arrived. The duo made their festival debut in London on the stage at Mighty Hoopla, followed by an appearance at Paris Men's Fashion Week. Taking their new material straight to crowds in the UK and Europe provided an early run-through of how their collaborative dynamic operates in front of an audience. With OTW now out in full, skuzland have translated those initial performances into a complete, self-directed introduction.
