Kneecap and the art of pissing people off
In the relatively short span since its formation, Belfast-based hip-hop band Kneecap has rocketed from local notoriety to international acclaim. Known for their raw energy and irreverent wit — unafraid to dive into the kinds of hot-button topics or voice criticisms that might make most squirm in their chairs — the group released their long-awaited longplayer, Fine Art, last week on Heavenly Records.
“Where we come from is obviously so cheery,” jokes shares Móglaí Bap, one of the band’s two frontmen, sitting next to his other half, Mo Chara. “When we started off in music we had criticism coming from both sides of the community. So we definitely don’t discriminate when it comes to taking the piss.” Próvaí adds with a grin, “Though there are some things you can’t joke about.” He doesn’t elaborate on what those ‘somethings’ are; despite their outspoken personas, the group knows where they draw the line. Fine Art exemplifies this ethos. It’s an unapologetic celebration of their heritage, scattered with pointed commentary on the socio-political landscape they tread. However, fans might be surprised if they were expecting something as openly incendiary as their earlier projects.
“We are absolutely thinking about what we’re saying,” shares Bap. He pauses and then continues, this time reflecting on the band’s hope that Fine Art will still press some buttons, “but here we were thinking about the music a lot more…Not that we were focusing on pissing people off before. It was just the subject matter.”
Ebb are finding their flow
The one thing all three members of London trio Ebbb can agree on is that they do not want to be pigeon-holed. This extends to what festival line-ups they feature on too. Producer Lev Ceylan in particular wants Ebbb’s sound to be appreciated wherever they find themselves; whether that’s with the “classic BBC 6Music listener”, at Manchester Psych Fest, or at a late night slot at an electronic-based event. For drummer Scott MacDonald, his humble desire for people to “get as much as we did'' from their debut EP All At Once is also a key priority. “That sounds very generic,” he laughs, “but we tried really hard on it.”
By blurring sublime vocals, intense techno-inspired beats, and a mix of ambient and heady electronics, Ceylan and MacDonald – along with vocalist Will Rowland – have managed to craft a sound that impressively and effortlessly skirts any any strict genre classification. All At Once is an impressive amalgamation of these qualities, showcasing their deft ability to transport listeners into a space that could effortlessly fill the arches of a church, whilst simultaneously vibrating through the ceiling of a sweaty city basement rave.
With All At Once released into the world - entirely recorded and produced in Ceylan’s bedroom - those who haven’t had the opportunity to see the band live have been offered a glimpse of their genre-defying sounds. From the opening note of “Himmel”, it is apparent that Rowland’s vocal range is remarkable. As are Ceylan’s precise, yet fluid production skills and MacDonald’s propulsive, shifting, vital beats. Each element elevates the other - it feels odd to think of them existing separately, when they flow, interact and sometimes collide with such impressive grace.
Sans Soucis is triumphing in their artistry of abundance and authenticity
The experimental pop made by Italian-Congolese artist Guilia Grispino – better known as Sans Soucis – is as beautiful as the intersections from which it derives its power. The name Sans Soucis means “without worries”; as a very carefree and adventurous kid it was a nickname given to Grispino by their grandmother, with the rest of their family soon following suit.
Grispino’s adoration for the eclectic radiates in her debut record Circumnavigating Georgia – due out in October. It brims with sensitive and confident slow jams and brighter bops, spanning electronic, R&B, pop and folk. The album is a stance against the patriarchy and white supremacy that affected them for a long time, with “the hope that it empowers people to destroy any fictional masks they still carry. It's about surviving tumultuous times, and I want other survivors to feel seen.”
The record represents a journey of discovery. “Though circumnavigating is a colonial term, I've always been fascinated by it,” Grispino explains. “The album is about deconstructing an identity that wasn’t mine, and exploring myself to find day zero, the true beginning. Georgia isn’t an island, so circumnavigating it feels a bit glitchy, indicating this journey is more metaphysical than physical.”
Grispino was also reading a lot of Audrey Lorde during the making of the record, particularly her text on erotic and the passion in life: “navigating around someone’s waters had a sensual and erotic quality to me, which is a thread throughout the album. It’s about living moments in a visceral way, apart from the hypersexualization I experienced when I was younger.”
Three things to get excited about this week
The return: Gothenburg based and oft-reclusive ledendary producer Dan Lissvik is back with a track under his Atelje guise, celebrating the start of the Swedish Summer Solstice. Initially gaining prominence as a member of the much-missed electronic duo Studio, Lissvik has continued to influence with his sporadic solo work and collaborations - under both his own name and “Atelje”. New single “Manual” (out solely on Bandcamp) sees Lissvik in perhaps his most peaceful and laidback. A soft, delicate song of self reflection - Lissvik contemplating, "self is the loneliest place to be". It's a perfect 4 minutes of soft, summer-tinged charm.
The Reddit thread: It may be full steam ahead on Brat summer, but it seems borderline blasphemous to ring in this new season without paying homage to the woman who, arguably, laid the cultural foundation that this moment in pop history rests upon: SOPHIE. In this 2019 Reddit thread, a user breaks down the iconic producer and musician’s artistic inspirations, as discussed at a 2019 talk she gave at Somerset House, ranging from Gene Wilder to the Pet Shop Boys. Also included in the thread is rare audio tape of SOPHIE discussing her life and career at the Somerset House event, specifically her frustration with live performances and her desire to innovate with them.
The loss: This week, the world mourns the passing of Donald Sutherland, a once-in-a-generation actor and a beloved Brit/Canadian. Remembering the icon, watch Sutherland here in his standout musical moment as Kate Bush’s dad in the melancholy visual for “Cloudbusting” back in 1985. Directed by Julian Doyle, the video was originally conceived by Terry Gilliam and Kate Bush as a short film and sees Sutherland cast as Wilhelm Reich, with Bush in the role of his young son, Peter as the pair try to make the cloudbuster machine of the title work.
Something Old, Something New
Every week, one of our writers or editors share their recommendations of two records they love - one from the past, one from the present. This week, Laura David on Denitia’s Highways (2022) and Sofia Wolfson’s Imposing on a Hometown (2024).
Open, winding roads. The smell of wild grass and pine trees and fresh earth. Blue skies and pastures that stretch on for miles. These are the images called to mind by Denitia’s mesmerizing record Highways. Though she first gained attention for the R&B work she released for about a decade between 2011 and 2020, it was, for me, her country pivot on 2022’s Highways that cemented her as a star in the making.
Denitia has said that Highways, for her, was a homecoming of sorts. Releasing a country record meant a return to the music that soundtracked her Southern upbringing, a theme explored on the album’s standout title track “Highways.” It’s a record about getting lost and getting found again, even if where you end up is simply, perfectly where you began. Musically, this return to country couldn’t have felt more natural. On Highways, Denitia soars amidst folksy guitar riffs and dreamy lap steel accompaniments. It’s traditional country fare updated with glossy 2020s production techniques and lyrics that wink at the challenges of artistry in the modern era. On “Call Me on A Burner,” for example, she croons about trying to “catch the attention of some elusive suit,” while on “All the Sweet Tea,” she opts for more traditional country fodder, pining for that elusive image of the lover left back home and desperately wanting to return both to her and to those simple Southern charms they both know so well. For any fan of country, anyone even remotely intrigued by the renaissance of Americana, or just anyone who can appreciate excellent storytelling and songwriting, Highways should be the next listen on your list.
There’s this moment in Mike Nichols’s The Graduate where Benjamin Braddock — or, a young Dustin Hoffman — is dragged down the stairs of his family home to greet a gaggle of his parents’ tiresome adult friends. Ben knows he will be poked, prodded, and inquired after by nosy elders wanting to know what the new graduate will be doing with “his future.” In moment just after he descends, the shot rests on a hanging portrait of a sad clown hung by the family’s staircase. It’s a moment that’s funny and sad, that exposes that strange feeling of knowing you’re making a fool of yourself but not knowing how to stop. It’s this feeling — and, indeed, this very image — that just about sums up Sofia Wolfson’s debut record, Imposing on a Hometown.
With a production style that invokes Christian Lee Hutson and a lyrical wit favoured by fans of Phoebe Bridgers, Adrienne Lenker, Samia and the like, Sofia Wolfson may be a welcome next-in-line for the indie-folk crown. The record is littered with humorous yet poignant musing such as “Donuts in the parking lot / I think I need to make new friends” and “Order breakfast for dinner / New Year’s Eve is always a big expensive bummer / The year is just a number.” They’re lines indicative of a skillful lyricist in the making, one with that uncanny ability to make the hyper-specific feel universal and the self-deprecating feel strangely comforting. On Imposing on a Hometown Sofia Wolfson presents a debut that, in its refusal to take itself or its genre too seriously, manages to cut impressively deep.
Listen to the week in new music by following our Discovery playlist
Dropping at midnight every Thursday, follow our playlist for a taste of the best new music from the most exciting breaking artists – 20 new tracks, top-loaded from the last five days in music and on repeat in the Best Fit office right now.
Leading the selection this week are new tracks from Horse Jumper of Love, HONESTY, John Glacier, and coverstar TaliaBle.