3.20.2020

EP: Hare Squead – Superweird

The New EP Hosts Acclaimed Singles like “Baeboo,” and “Meeting With Myself”; the Dublin Duo Drops the Iceland-Set Video for “Minor Gangsters (Gully),” Recently Performed On COLORS

Superweird EP artwork

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 EP + Video:

Wielding a unique vocal chemistry and a desire for experimentation, Hare Squead is Ireland’s favorite hip-hop duo. Today, Lilo Blues and Tony Konstone share Superweird EP, the culmination of over a year’s worth of creative momentum. Though they’re unbound by the traditional confines of hip-hop, with a sound that oscillates wildly depending on the mood and subject matter, each track on Superweird is purpose-built to deliver off-kilter, positive vibes. Channeling their wildest impulses into an inventive 7-tracker, Hare Squead’s new project provides a new home previous singles like the boom-bap kiss-off “Minor Gangsters (Gully),” recently performed on COLORS, the electronic-influenced lust letter “Baeboo,” and the introspective “Meeting With Myself.” The EP complements those acclaimed tracks with new highlights like the bubbly “Like I’m Barack” and the bass-heavy “Trenches.” Featuring appearances from Jay Prince and Peter Xan, Superweird is available to stream everywhere via Independently Popular.

“We like to let the music do the talking,” says Hare Squead. “We went to the studio and made tracks. We hope people like them.”

Along with the EP, Hare Squead ventures to Iceland’s alien landscape for “Minor Gangsters (Gully),” a new music video premiered by The FADER. A head-nodding track produced by PayDay (Octavian, Ugly God) named after a chance encounter with a racist UK politician, “Minor Gangsters” finds Tony Konstone and Lilo Blues perfecting their tough talk, firing shots at haters and bigots across the spectrum: “I don’t take advice from a n****, they tried to bleep me I say it how I like it, problem in the industry/Can’t commercialise a n**** really in da in da street/Have you ever been broke all you had was indomie,” rhymes Lilo. In the video, Hare Squead travels to Iceland, posting up on a long stretch of abandoned road to bask in the glorious, psychedelic colors of the surrounding atmosphere. The recent COLORS performance of “Minor Gangsters” racked up over 125k YouTube views since its release last Thursday.

Hare Squead recently wrapped up the “Minor Gangsters Tour,” which took the duo across Western Europe, with stops in Berlin, Amsterdam, Paris, London, and the duo’s hometown of Dublin. On the tour, they played Superweird highlights, acclaimed 2019 singles like “100 Miles“ (1.2 million Spotify streams) and the Clash Magazine-premiered “Petty (ft. Shauna Shadae & Wusu),” and older highlights like “Herside Story,” a 2017 collaboration with Goldlink which has over 63 million streams on Spotify alone. With over 1.1 million monthly listeners on Spotify, Hare Squead is just getting started in their quest to bring their “superweird” sound to the masses.

Buy/Stream Superweird EP: https://indiepop.ffm.to/superweird

Watch the new video for “Minor Gangsters (Gully)”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TqTDgLZCQOc

Watch “Minor Gangsters (Gully)” on COLORS: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c0E1mCM930Y

Check out The FADER’s premiere of the video: https://www.thefader.com/2020/03/20/hare-squead-minor-gangsters-video

Superweird EP tracklist:

Like I’m Barack ft. Peter Xan
Baeboo
Trenches
Wanna Luv
Meeting With Myself ft. Jay Prince
Love Stuff
Minor Gangsters (Gully)

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:

Superweird EP: https://indiepop.ffm.to/superweird

Watch “Minor Gangsters (Gully)” on COLORS: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c0E1mCM930Y

“Minor Gangsters (Gully)”: https://indiepop.ffm.to/minorgangsters / https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TqTDgLZCQOc

“Baeboo”: https://indiepop.ffm.to/baeboo / https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z7g_YY4a400

“Meeting With Myself” ft. Jay Prince: indpop.fanlink.to/meetingwithmyself | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qn_nB79TZLA

“Meeting With Myself” ft. Jay Prince: indpop.fanlink.to/meetingwithmyself

“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