4.4
Bob Vylan shows a more self-assured critique of a broken system with his third outing. It’s sonically rich and it’s unapologetically Vylan.
Much to the demise of others around them, duo Bob Vylan answer to no-one. And rightly so. Like most punk bands, the duo fight for injustice in an otherwise un-just society. But unlike most punk bands, they ultimately practice what they preach, straddle into unwavering animosity and use punk for good; not just as a plastic outreach to sell more records.
Their abrasiveness makes their popularity remarkable and their call-outs to other so-called “left-wing punks” make them equally admired among fans alike. At a show back in November, Vylan lambasted IDLES and Sleaford Mods for their “cowardice” when it came to showing solidarity with Palestinians. Exactly as you’d expect, the pairing aren’t afraid to call it how it is.
Characterised with a tumultuous presence and an equally heroic timestamp in artist independence, (with their previous album hitting the charts without a label) Bob Vylan have become one of the nations’ greatest voices to cost-of-living-crisis Britain and its temperamental strongholds it has on the average folk. Vylan is here to break down the barriers and shatter the disillusions of today’s youth. You are more than your take home pay, Making barely enough to make it through the day, I know I know I know.
While the under-layers of Humble as the Sun feature the same radical and frenzied approach to change in a broken system, the third also conjures up promotions of hope and self-worth. This is no more representative than that of the ball of fire that keeps us alive. That is what Vylan felt when meditating out in the garden at studio Windy Ridge in-between recording sessions. It’s this seething sun-burning angst and hopeful light that keeps Vylan afloat and keenly aware of his own affirmations. The self-titled starter is an ignited inspirational preach to the man and sees Vylan in a more eloquent light with an equally broader scope.
I’m as humble as the sun. The album went to 18, but they know I’m number one.
Of course, it is Bob Vylan. The self-love representation can only so much when he paints such a vivid punk-portrait in his frank lyricism. Bobby lashes at the housing crisis in bolstered Hunger Games – “World outside is burning down / My flat still won’t hold heat,” while Makes Me Violent is a letter to England; or more a statement of hypocrisy to a country that tells us to not be violent and yet advocates for some of the most horrendous atrocities around the world, Someone’s always telling me / “Just calm down and let it be.” As a true champion to the punk ethics, they champion independence and attack labels all the while advocating for his Jamaican roots – “Now watch me as I fight back, for every reggae artist that never got their rights back. That died, broke and hungry on the island of Jamaica, while someone at Island Records made a killing off the right tracks.” The album also comments on the stereotypes of British White nationalists that see through the importance of multi-culturalism in our society in He’s A Man – “Loves a chicken korma, but hates the hands that cook it.”
While hip-hop stylised Reign and trend-setter Dream Big offer inspiration to those that need it the most. It’s not just an album full of fired-up anthems to blow up a car too. It’s attesting to the current problems, and asking what are you gonna do about it? In terms of scope, it’s Vylan and Vylan at their biggest. Ring the Alarm is a punk-grime concoction while Right Here plays in the hands of Vylan’s humility featuring some of his coldest lines (“Had to do it DIY cause the label will screw ya / Indepedent with a MOBO, bitch!”) all behind Fatboy Slim’s iconic sample.
Featuring prolific samples, hip-hop infusions and grime-seasoned lyricism, Vylan is cooking up a frightful storm with ambitious third.
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