13 Jun Bricknasty releases new EP & announces headline tour
Dublin band Bricknasty release their debut EP INA CRUELER today, out now via FAMM. The EP arrives with new highlight track ‘guilt2001’, which features guest vocals from fellow Irish artists Tomike and Chi-Chi. The band teased the project late last year with title track ‘ina crueler’ – a distinctive, fully-formed statement of intent which promptly saw them sign to FAMM, joining labelmates Jorja Smith, Enny and Maverick Sabre. The subsequent release of singles ‘fashion’ featuring rising Dublin alt-rapper KhakiKid and ‘ducks ina row’ had Bricknasty quickly cement their place as a new force rising from the heart of the burgeoning Irish scene. The band’s recent showcases at The Great Escape were followed up by a sold-out London headline show at Ninety One Living Room and recent appearance at Primavera Pro, and now the band confirm details of a new headline tour through the UK and Ireland this November, with tickets on sale now.
Initially evolving from a chance encounter on Soundcloud between frontman/guitarist Fatboy and producer Cillian McCauley, Bricknasty expanded to a fully fledged physical band with the introduction of Dara Abdurahman (bass), Korey Thomas (drums) and Louis Younge (sax/keys). From infectious energy and soulful chords to soft, woozy vocals, together Bricknasty’s music effortlessly traverses RnB, neo soul, jazz and psych citing influences such as D’Angelo, MF Doom, and Timbaland. As the members have flourished, so too have their songs, with each individual contributing to both existing demos and the wider texture of the collective’s identity and vision. Their obvious harmony and musical synchronicity as a band extends to their live shows too, which have caused a groundswell of word-of-mouth buzz in Dublin and beyond including further performances at Eurosonic, Other Voices, Cork Jazz Festival and a support slot for Cordae.
Central to Bricknasty’s story and anarchic approach is frontman/guitarist Fatboy’s experiences growing up in the Dublin suburb of Ballymun, a district known for its social problems including unemployment, high crime rates and drug abuse, heavily associated with Dublin’s heroin epidemic in the 80s and 90s. With external prejudices further nourishing this notoriety, its residents were rarely granted the opportunity to present their own perspectives. “There was loads in the news at the time about Ballymun and the type of people who lived there”, reflects Fatboy,“But anyone what lived in them flats at that time will tell you they were unreal to live in and the sense of community was very strong.” Raised between two of the towers known as the Ballymun Flats, Fatboy’s home was the reluctant poster child for the area’s infamy. Built in the early 1960s to serve the city’s swelling population, the group of high rises were unceremoniously demolished in the early 2000s to make way for new developments. The trade off for this ‘regeneration project’ was the dispossession and displacement it left in its wake.
Whilst the memories of his community and its soundscapes pulse on (with everything from traditional ballads to hip-hop, rave and 90s garage blaring from its doorsteps), the physical backdrop of Fatboy’s childhood has become all but erased. For Fatboy, the urgency to capture the forces that shaped his formative years is palpable, and informs every element of INA CRUELER; “It feels like a plate of dinner that’s gonna grow legs and run away from ya as fast as ya can. I’m trying to metabolise all the memories before I forget them.” Across the EP’s singles and interludes, this takes the form of field recordings from Ballymun, melding real life interviews with inhabitants and other raw textures aimed at rewriting the area’s history and immortalising its people. Further to this, the band’s monochromatic visuals pay particular homage to Dublin photographer Ross McDonnell and his earnest captures of Ballymun phenomenal photobook JOYRIDER. Fatboy explains; “There’s pictures of the place I’m from, there’s interviews with the people who actually did raise me. I wanted to take you by the hand and take you to the actual physical place…let you hear from the horse’s mouth rather than talking and talking at ya.”
The commitment to showcasing the range of the area in its bumps, beauty and imperfections extends to Fatboy’s own story across the INA CRUELER’s 10 tracks, and he also doesn’t shy away from the negative impact it had on his life. EP opener ‘ballymun’, details the origins of the area’s problems, while ‘prazsky’ takes cues from Kendrick Lamar’s ‘You’, as he relives the burden of generational trauma at the kitchen table at an after party. Ultimately, the project gives reason for hope, at its most concentrated on the title track, which features a real time recording of Fatboy and his mother banishing their respective demons, and growing stronger as a result. It’s this spirit of innovation, resilience, visibility and optimism which binds Bricknasty as a collective, and carries on the legacy of an area which has spawned some of Irish music’s most influential acts, including revered Hip Hop crew Urban Intelligence and their label Workin’ Class Records. Following in the footsteps of these predecessors and paired with a tight knit group of musical peers including Tebi Rex, Khakikid, Tomike, Ahmed With Love and DeCarteret, there’s little doubt that Bricknasty are at the forefront of a new wave of Irish innovators, rejecting the cliches and prioritising telling essential, modern Irish stories in their place.
Listen to INA CRUELER on all platforms here:
