1.31.2019
Single: Hare Squead – “Minor Gangsters (Gully)”
The Dublin Duo Create an Old School Slapper to Clap Back At Assumptions
Critical Praise:
“Hare Squead are pioneers of a creative boom taking place in Dublin… They have Ed Sheeran’s business savvy, compositional expertise , plus chiselled jaws and puppyish enthusiasm.”– The Guardian
“Blending hip-hop, soul and pop in a way that feels both soothing and full of energy, the results carry some heavy Chance the Rapper and De La Soul vibes with a distinctly Irish twist.” – Noisey
“With a name as unique as Hare Squead, their sound is just as special.” – XXL
“There’s no denying the group’s ascension; in Dublin, Ireland—a city only now becoming known for its hip-hop—Hare Squead is becoming one of its most recognizable acts.” – Pitchfork
The Single:
Versatile Irish duo Hare Squead‘s music can run the gamut from Afro-futurist dancehall to spritely guitar pop, but they’re just as effective when they go back to the basics. Clapping back at all comers, Hare Squead share “Minor Gangsters (Gully),” their new single. Last Fall, Hare Squead made headlines in the UK when they called out conservative politician Rory Stewart for his racism after a chance encounter–he called them “minor gangsters,” judging them by their demeanor and appearance. On their new song, a lightly-bouncing banger with a catchy guitar figure and a boom-bap beat courtesy of producer PayDay (Octavian, Ugly God), Tony Konstone and Lilo Blues strike back, proving that there’s nothing minor about their sound and stature: “I remember being hungry had to force myself to sleep/I done been broke, bummy, I was not supposed to eat/Fuck the white man telling me that I’m a minor G, ya dig/If you wanna fuck around with Lilo you gon fuck around with Kilo’s,” asserts Lilo. Today the song has been included in Spotify’s New Music Friday playlists in both the US and UK.
“Minor Gangsters (Gully)” follows the recent video for “Meeting With Myself,“ premiered by Afropunk earlier this month. Included on Spotify’s Who We Be playlist, “Meeting With Myself” racked up over 200k streams on Spotify, and earned a premiere from Dummy Mag on its audio in late 2019. The group kicked off 2019 with February’s “100 Miles,” which boasted a HYPEBEAST-premiered video and earned over 1.2 million Spotify streams, and “Petty (ft. Shauna Shadae & Wusu),” which premiered in Clash Magazine in August. Together, the four singles paint a picture of Hare Squead’s impressive genre fluidity–“100 Miles” is a sweetly-sung acoustic R&B come-on, while “Petty” borrows liberally from dancehall, afropop, and UK rap.
Hare Squead is currently preparing to embark the “Minor Gangsters Tour” in late February. A 5-show run that takes the duo across Western Europe, the “Minor Gangsters Tour” features stops in Berlin, Amsterdam, Paris, London, and the duo’s hometown of Dublin, Ireland. Stay tuned for Hare Squead’s upcoming Superweird EP, arriving later in 2020.
Blazing a trail for hip-hop in Ireland, Hare Squead (a duo comprised of Lilo Blues and Tony Konstone) developed a loyal fanbase on both sides of the Atlantic with their eccentric and melodic sound. Praised by the likes of Pitchfork, Noisey, The Guardian, and many others, Hare Squead found the ears of Goldlink in 2017, when he included a remix of their song “Herside Story” on his At What Cost album, generating over 58 million plays on Spotify. In 2017, the group released two acclaimed singles “Flowers” and “Pure,” which earned more than 7 million combined streams on Spotify alone. With a monthly listenership of 960k and growing, Hare Squead continues to impress their following with their innovative and infectious songs.
Stream “Minor Gangsters (Gully)”: https://indiepop.ffm.to/minorgangsters
Please contact Michelle or Kierra for more info.
The Background:
Way beyond, across the pond, Hare Squead are quickly making a name for themselves. Hip-Hop and Ireland may seem like two points on opposite ends of the spectrum but the now-band of two, comprised of Tony Konstone and Lilo Blues, are imprinted within both worlds and look at themselves as more than just an anomaly. In 2016, the group found success outside of their local scene with “Long Way to Go” and took advantage of that by dropping their Supernormal EP. The standout single off the EP, “Herside Story,” quickly became a favorite, which led to Goldlink including a remix of the group’s song on his At What Cost album in 2017. Combined, “Herside Story” has amassed over 40 million streams on Spotify to-date. Also in 2017, the group released two acclaimed singles “Flowers” and “Pure,” which earned more than 5 million combined streams on Spotify alone. However, as success builds, unexpected turns can arise to derail everything. After an 18-month absence from the spotlight, in February 2019, Hare Squead made their return with “100 Miles,” a bubbly, guitar-driven single that was inspired by the emotional vulnerability of Aretha Franklin’s “I Say a Little Prayer.” The group plans to release two EPs in 2020 and re-introduce themselves to the world as a formidable talent.
Links:
official site | twitter | facebook | soundcloud | instagram | spotify
“Minor Gangsters (Gully)”: https://indiepop.ffm.to/minorgangsters
Buy tickets for the “Minor Gangsters Tour”: https://www.haresquead.com/tour
“Meeting With Myself” ft. Jay Prince: indpop.fanlink.to/meetingwithmyself | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qn_nB79TZLA
“Petty” ft. Wusu & Shauna Shondae: https://indpop.fanlink.to/petty
“100 Miles”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dwd85srobUE | https://open.spotify.com/album/2IgwnCEN1pT2NGd0WCBFOe?si=YxWjCJD8RXGm6-D9qM6lpw
“Pure”: https://open.spotify.com/album/4KwGcYRYvAlifOrPiW6li4?si=pztFwT-hRtyaw-B9ZV9DHw
“Flowers”: https://open.spotify.com/album/6219jeryZvGsnVSZj2vQj3?si=uoddrajdRd-aL0gL0jNlRA
“Herside Story” w/ Goldlink: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m-zeV_s3bfY
“Herside Story”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zXVJTRXgCCg
“If I Ask”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TpTOnpd2THI
Supernormal EP: https://open.spotify.com/album/4J6AAwaW46J6REDAPI7x2e