Music
03 May 23

Bricknasty announce debut EP with 'ducks ina row'

Credit: Weepy Woopy.

Bricknasty's debut EP - heavily inspired by Dublin's Ballymun Flats - prioritises telling essential, modern Irish stories in place of societal cliches.

Dublin outfit Bricknasty have shared a brand new video for 'ducks ina row' today to announce their debut EP INA CRUELER .

The project is due to arrive on Wednesday, June 7th. The news follows recent single ‘fashion', featuring rising Dublin alt-rapper KhakiKid, as well as their signing to FAMM joining labelmates Jorja Smith, Enny and Maverick Sabre.

A new force rising from the heart of the burgeoning Irish scene, Bricknasty will land on UK shores this month, playing two showcases at The Great Escape followed by a London headline show at Ninety One Living Room on May 12th. They also have a gig slated at The Workman's Club on May 25 as well as Beyond The Pale and Otherside Festivals.

The stop motion graphics visuals for 'ducks ina row' were directed by Bricknasty and Fatboy, featuring animation, colour grade, environments and final edit by Zach Bleech. Character designs were provided by CmkRealm, with 3D assistance and motion graphics by Rilla.127.

Opening with a jazz-infused acoustic guitar line, textured vocals are layered for a soulful blast of funk-driven hip-hop. Produced by Cillian McCauley, frontman/guitarist Fatboy jams with warped, fuzzy electronic flourishes with his laidback delivery. Packed with their usual rich, warm instrumentation, we're excited to see how bassist Dara Abdurahman before drummer Korey Thomas and saxophonist/keyboardist Louis Younge - plus Fatboy - perform this live.

Check out the new video for 'ducks ina row' below.

Initially evolving from a chance encounter on Soundcloud between Fatboy and Cillian McCauley, Bricknasty later expanded to a fully fledged physical band. 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.

The EP title track ‘ina crueler' acted as a distinctive, fully-formed display of the group’s obvious synchronicity and statement of intent for their forthcoming debut project. Bricknasty’s music effortlessly traverses RnB, neo soul, jazz and psych citing influences such as D’Angelo, MF Doom, and Timbaland.

A word-of-mouth buzz about their live sets has spread in Dublin and beyond, including performances at Eurosonic, Other Voices, Cork Jazz Festival and a support slot for Cordae.

Central to Bricknasty’s story and anarchic approach is 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.

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.”

Field recordings from Ballymun include real life interviews with inhabitants and other raw textures aimed at rewriting the area’s history and immortalising its people. The band’s monochromatic visuals pay particular homage to Dublin photographer Ross McDonnell and his earnest captures of Ballymun phenomenal photobook JOYRIDER.

“There’s pictures of the place I’m from, there’s interviews with the people who actually did raise me," Fatboy remarks. "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.”
Pre-save INA CRUELER here.

Bricknasty - Live Dates 2023