HARE SQUEAD - SUPERWEIRD EP
Shawn Wilson gives us a re-introduction to Dublin’s very own Hare Squead with a review on their latest release, the Superweird EP.
The Irish hip-hop group Hare Squead have been making music since 2013. Initially a trio, the self-taught multi-instrumentalist and producer Lilo Blues, poet Tony Konstone and singer Jessy Rose made a name for themselves with their single ‘If I Ask’ which quickly got the band on the road touring.
“We make music and it's just good music, we just happen to be from Ireland and happen to be black,” Blues says. “I don’t want that to be the narrative.” The group chose their name in tribute to the fact they all had high-top fades (or ‘square heads’) when they first met.
After an 18-month absence from the spotlight, and the departure of Jessy Rose, Hare Squead made their return with ‘100 Miles’ in February of 2019, a bubbly, guitar-driven single that was inspired by the emotional vulnerability of Aretha Franklin’s ‘I Say a Little Prayer’. Blues said “I know that there was this magic there with the three of us and I know that there’s magic here with just the two of us.”
That statement couldn’t be more true.
This week, Hare Squead dropped their latest EP Superweird. This 7 track EP is filled with multiple head bopping tracks, like ‘Minor Gangsters (Gully)’. The guitar backed track keeps you unintentionally grooving in your seat. The Irish accent shows throughout and is a welcomed breath of fresh air to the overproduced American hip-hop.
A few of the tracks on this EP have their place in your own personal playlist. Superweird second track ‘Baeboo’ has bass drops that remind me of the reason I own an upper end stereo system. The album is wonderfully produced and worthy of being in the current rotation, with its catchy choruses and feelgood vibes. ‘Baeboo’ and ‘Wanna Luv’ may very well end up being the reason 9 months from now a newborn is brought into this world.
‘Meeting With Myself’ talks about dealing with your internal demons and self-help, discussing the struggle of growing up without money as his mother “broke her back from 9 to 6”. This vocalisation of endless hustling and grinding until you succeed can be seen as a poetic testament to daily life.
Although their group has had their difficulties in the past, this rebirth as a duo shows they can overcome many struggles and will be a force to be reckoned with. These Irish duo have found their lucky charm. with the Superweird EP.
Shawn Wilson
★★★★☆