In a sunny Orange County storage, the members of alt-pop band Folks R Ugly sit scattered throughout workplace chairs and garden furnishings. Singer Zak Dossi and guitarist Julian Delgrosso idly strum guitars, bassist Invoice Biers lights a joint, and drummer Tristan Kevitch perches on a espresso desk.
For a band thrown collectively lower than every week earlier than their first present, Folks R Ugly have moved quick. After a packed yr taking part in festivals like Lollapalooza, Bonnaroo, Summerfest, and Warped Tour, they launched their debut album “GARAGE” final October. Now they’re kicking off 2026 with their largest tour but, hoping to, as Kevitch places it, “make each fan fall in love with them.”
That love story begins in Dossi’s storage, the place the band writes, data, and produces their music. It additionally lends its identify to the band’s debut album, “GARAGE” — a high-energy mix of catchy pop hooks, DIY hip-hop manufacturing, nostalgia-driven alt-rock sound, and, based on Dossi, “no matter else I’m listening to that week.”
Folks R Ugly experimented with a number of new genres all through the album, which marked a recent sound for the group. “It’s simply 4 dudes in a storage saying, hey, let’s do this,” Delgrosso mentioned. The band’s DIY mindset extends to manufacturing, which Dossi handles himself.
“I like doing every little thing myself on the subject of the recording, manufacturing, and mixing,” Dossi mentioned. “I’ve extra management over it and might come out with extra of a novel product.”
Folks R Ugly described “GARAGE” as sounding “enjoyable,” “attractive,” and, uniquely, “inexperienced.” The colour dominates their visuals, from album artwork to what they name their “silly inexperienced jumpsuits.” “It was a rubber hazmat swimsuit, however that was simply inconceivable to be in,” Delgrosso mentioned. “So Invoice’s mother made us windbreaker ones, that are much more snug.” The band’s shared humorousness is fixed, typically spiraling into prolonged bits about matching tattoos or the town of Des Moines, Iowa. It’s nearly exhausting to imagine that 4 years in the past, the 4 have been near-strangers.
Folks R Ugly started when Kevitch, a school baseball participant who had been drumming since age 9, spent years cold-calling venues throughout Los Angeles hoping to guide a present. When considered one of his dream venues — the Whiskey-a-Go-Go — accepted, Kevitch was thrilled.
There was just one downside: He didn’t have a band.
Within the seven days earlier than the present, Kevitch tracked down Dossi, Delgrosso, and Biers on Instagram. They spent every week writing songs, rehearsing collectively, and recruiting folks off the road to attend their present. What made them stick collectively?
“Unconditional love,” Delgrosso mentioned. “Additionally, I simply form of booked a aircraft ticket and by no means went again.”
The band’s identify was simply as impulsive — chosen as a result of, based on Kevitch, it might “look cool on a marquee.” “It simply form of caught,” Kevitch mentioned. “We’ve tried to make up a motive for it through the years, however the actual reply is rather like how we made the band — last-minute and off-the-cuff.”
That spontaneity extends to Folks R Ugly’s on-line presence and visible path; along with distinctive promotional methods like defacing their very own posters with phallic imagery, the band additionally comes up with the concepts for his or her music movies. “The video division for probably the most half is me and Tristan,” Dossi mentioned. “We’ve been video editors as our day jobs for a very long time, so each music video and content material that you simply see is us making and modifying that.”
Kevitch shared particulars in regards to the music video for “WAKE UP,” which he described as “our largest music video venture off of the album.” “We smoked numerous weed and got here up with the concept on the spot, and we have been like, ‘there’s no manner we will pull this off,’” Kevitch mentioned. “After which 8 months later we tried it, and it got here out precisely how we noticed it in our heads.” The video was just lately nominated by SXSW for Greatest Music Video alongside main artists like Chappell Roan, Kendrick Lamar, and Tyler the Creator.
“I felt prefer it was a joke,” Delgrosso mentioned of the nomination.
“No!” Dossi argued. “It’s the very best music video there!”
The video options Blink-182’s Mark Hoppus because the band’s high-school principal giving Kevitch terrible recommendation at a expertise present.
“Clearly he’s considered one of my favourite singers ever, so the truth that I received to direct and act in the identical scene with him was surreal,” Kevitch mentioned.
Along with Hoppus, the band has performed host to various distinctive collaborators together with Chic’s Jakob Nowell, the Plain White T’s Tom Higgenson, and Dr. Michael Kogon — the urologist who carried out Delgrosso’s grownup circumcision. After Folks R Ugly’s tune in regards to the process (“Circ23”) went viral, Delgrosso tracked down Kogon and flew him out to play bass with the band at Warped Tour Orlando.
Now, the band is making ready for his or her “largest and longest” tour but opening for The Summer time Set, expressing pleasure about taking part in “GARAGE” reside. “We’ve been taking part in it at just about each pageant we’ve finished over the summer time,” Dossi mentioned. “Most likely half our set was the brand new album earlier than it even got here out. But it surely’s gonna be dope now taking part in it now that individuals know the songs and the phrases.”
When requested about their objectives for the tour, Kevitch responded: “To make each fan fall in love with us.” “Particularly once you’re opening, the gang won’t know who you’re,” Kevitch mentioned. “I would like everybody leaving the exhibits like, ‘Folks R Ugly is the very best fucking band on planet Earth.’” The band additionally teased new music post-tour. “We’re an impartial band now, so we will do regardless of the hell we wish,” Kevitch mentioned.
“We’re working our manner in direction of a second album,” Dossi mentioned. When requested what it is perhaps about, he responded: “The subsequent one’s gonna be an idea album. It’s gonna be a few time-traveling horse.” The band agreed, laughing as they mentioned potential costumes and matching horse tattoos. “You heard it right here first.” Biers mentioned. “Time-traveling horse.”
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