Following a host of virtual festival appearances and a star turn on the Normal People soundtrack, Irish hip-hop duo have returned with their latest single, 'Dead Man II' – a track we're delighted to premiere today.

Carrying the torch from previous singles ‘Oh It Hurts’ and ‘Hanging With Trees’, the track reveals another aspect of the group's latest narrative – a story with an enigmatic tree at its heart, guiding the protagonist through a journey full of challenges and redemption. ‘Dead Man II’ paints a glib picture of modern Ireland – touching on political themes and including musings on austerity, racism, imposter syndrome, and death – before ultimately deciding that it's going to be okay in the end.

"I wrote this song because I was scared of death," Max Zanga tells Hot Press exclusively. "I'm scared of my brother dying, of wasting my youth in a dying country, of all the steam and momentum we've built over the years turning into nothing. It's a terrible way to live. Even worse than that it's a bummer.

"It's not easy being black in this country, or LGBTQ+, or working-class, or depressed – or anything that isn't the norm. This isn't a song about fixing anything. We're in this situation because of forces out of our control. It's a song about telling those forces to fuck off."

Listen to 'Dead Man II' below.