Review: "Ugly Side" - Toria Rainey
- Azalea Withrow
- Apr 3
- 2 min read
Toria Rainey's "Ugly Side" captures the grainy, evocative whirlwind of emotion that ensues after the violation of boundaries. Rainey shares that she wrote the song after feeling her boundaries were disrespected. Going into autopilot as an immediate reaction, she perceived that she was not in control of how she responded. The anger that built gave way to "the quiet panic of realizing: this isn’t who I want to be, but I can’t seem to stop it." Unapologetically lingering in the messiness of reacting, the singer refrains from closing out the song by neatly packing her emotions up. Maintaining the tension between wanting to stay composed and surrendering to anger, "Ugly Side" portrays a distinctly human experience.
The single sits in a darker, more electric corner of indie pop, pulling in rock and R&B
influences. Gritty electric guitar tracks and live drums drive the track forward with intensity. Stacked vocals and thoughtfully used distortion create a haunting back-and-forth conversational delivery of the lyrics, indicating the singer's internal struggle. Vocal runs and harmonies intensify in the latter half of the song alongside propulsive percussion, building to the explosive climax. Instead of reigning the passion back in for a fade-out ending, Rainey fiercely finishes out the track with vigor.
Toria Rainey is a Brooklyn-based artist who composes indie pop music that isn't afraid to confront uncomfortable truths. Intermingling key musical characteristics across genres, Rainey layers intimate pop production with flickers of folk and R&B, lyrics dripping in confidential vulnerability, sung with a voice of gold. On Spotify, her songs can be found on a number of curated playlists, such as, Moonrocket Records' "Best New Indie 2026" and Playlist Picasso's "Happy Indie Vibes." "Ugly Side" is Rainey's second single release of 2026, following her cathartic track "Bicycle Boy." Stay tuned for the continuation of Toria Rainey's establishment in the indie pop realm. I know I will.
Written By Azalea Withrow
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