Bricknasty arrived with new single ‘Fashion’ in early March featuring rising Dublin alt-rapper KhakiKid, the latest track from the Irish band following their signing to FAMM for their debut EP, joining the roster alongside Jorja Smith, Enny and Maverick Sabre. The track followed late-2022’s ‘Ina Crueler,’ a song which further signified them as a new force rising from the heart of the burgeoning Dublin scene. ‘Fashion’ centralises around their mutual disdain and distrust for trends in fashion and social media; “they aren’t worth the piss they’re printed on, it’s not something we give a shit about at all.”

With collaborations a key part of their craft, Bricknasty’s core iteration began after vocalist/guitarist Fatboy connected with producer Cillian McCauley via Soundcloud. Expanding from 2020, they are now joined by Dara Abdurahman (bass), Korey Thomas (drums) and Louis Younge (sax/keys). As the band’s members have flourished, so too have their songs, with each individual contributing to both existing demos and the wider texture of the collective’s identity and vision. This process is evident in previous single ‘Ina Crueler’ – a distinctive, fully-formed display of the group’s obvious synchronicity. From infectious energy and soulful chords to soft, woozy vocals, together Bricknasty’s music effortlessly traverses RnB, neo soul, jazz and psych citing influences such as D’Angelo, MF Doom, and Timbaland. This harmony extends to the band’s live shows too, which have caused a groundswell of word-of-mouth buzz in Dublin and beyond including performances at Eurosonic, Other Voices, Cork Jazz Festival and a support slot for Cordae.

Central to Bricknasty’s story and anarchic approach is Fatboy’s experiences growing up in the Dublin suburb of Ballymun, a district known for its social problems including drug abuse, unemployment and high crime rates. With external prejudices further nourishing this notoriety, its residents were rarely granted the opportunity to present their own perspectives. “It was coming off the back of the heroin epidemic in the 90s and there was loads in the news about Ballymun and the type of people who lived there”, he reflects,“But anyone what lived in them flats at that time will tell you they were unreal to live in and the sense of community was very strong.” Raised between two of the towers known as the Ballymun Flats, Fatboy’s home was the reluctant poster child for the area’s infamy. Built in the early 1960s to serve the city’s swelling population, the group of high rises were unceremoniously demolished in the early 2000s to make way for new developments. The trade off for this ‘regeneration project’ was the dispossession and displacement it left in its wake. Whilst the physical backdrop of Fatboy’s childhood was erased, the memory of its soundscapes pulses on – with everything from traditional ballads to hip-hop, rave and 90s garage blaring from its doorsteps.

Where Bricknasty now very much diffuses the scope of its members varying influences and personal contexts – Fatboy’s experiences certainly inform and epitomise the central ethos of their craft – one that is unafraid to tackle heavy themes, yet forges ahead in a spirit of innovation, resilience, visibility and optimism. The band release their next single ‘Ducks Ina Row’ in April, followed by the Ina Crueler EP in late May.