Critical response Upon release, "Ugh!" was met with positive reviews from
contemporary music critics, while the response from the 1975's fanbase was more favourable than "Love Me". Dan Weiss of
Spin called the song a "convincingly arresting tune", deeming it a marriage of Scritti Politti's
Cupid & Psyche 85 (1985) and
Usher's
My Way (1997). Kika Chatterjee of
Alternative Press described the track as a "technicolor anthem", praising the juxtaposition of Healy's sardonicism with the glowy synth. She also noted similarities with "Menswear", deeming it the mature companion. Matt Collar of
AllMusic called "Ugh!" delightful while comparing it to "something
Madonna might have made in collaboration with
Chic guitarist
Nile Rodgers and art-pop duo
Yello".
Annie Zaleski of
The A.V. Club felt "Ugh!" is an "obvious single", describing it as a "beachy ode to the lure of cocaine". Manders praised the 1975 for finding a silver lining in the song's dark themes, noting they successfully move the song away from being morose, while writing that it perfectly captures the sick amusement in complacency. Andy Gill of
The Independent said the track is less appealing than "Love Me", writing that it "[mistakes] mere
riff for melody, and lyrical tricksiness for sophistication".
Commercial performance In the 1975's native United Kingdom, "Ugh!" peaked at number 42 on the
UK Singles Chart and number 26 in Scotland. The song was later certified silver by the
British Phonographic Industry (BPI), denoting sales of over 200,000 units in the UK. Elsewhere in Europe, it reached number 80 in Ireland. In the United States, "Ugh!" peaked at number 12 on the US
Billboard Hot Rock & Alternative Songs chart, before later being ranked at number 98 on the chart's year-end edition. == Music video ==