Bob Vylan – Humble As the Sun

Bob Vylan’s third album Humble As the Sun delivers the kind of unrestrained angry social commentary that the hip-hop/punk duo have become known for, but this time with a little more polish. The ten-track record has zero fat on it, and scatterguns through valid targets of vitriol: the royal family, tax dodgers, loser dudes of the manosphere. Lyrically, it’s thrillingly provocative as the duo fantasise about overthrowing the entire bent system.

Noise-wise, the record inevitably loses some of the anarchic energy of their live shows and although it does stray into new musical territory, with electronic samples in parts, the main engine remains the drums and scuzzy guitar of the pair themselves. Humble As the Sun is also decidedly less sweary than their previous efforts. A detail that may have helped the group, three albums in, to secure their recent appearance on BBC Radio 1’s Future Sounds show. Despite this, the songs have lost none of their fury. On the suitably acerbic Hunger Games, the duo take aim at the agents of the cost of living crisis, and the dystopian British response ('Spin the wheel for the chance of a hot meal'). A timely and exciting collection of songs.

Listen to: Reign, Hunger Games, GYAG (Get Yourself A Gun)