In the 19th century, an Irish-American militant group known as the Fenian brotherhood arose in opposition to British rule, launching war campaigns into the Canadian-British colonies in the name of Irish independence. The term Fenian has since took on an array of meanings, while many associate it with bravery and resistance, oppressors have historically sucked the air out of its glory and tagged it as an insult. While they certainly aren’t the first Irish to reclaim the term, it’s only fitting that Kneecap are the ones to lift the term to a global scale. On FENIAN, Ireland’s most vicious rap trio use some of history’s biggest badasses to represent a global anti-colonial struggle.

FENIAN is slathered in a collage of insightful jokes, jolting basslines, alienating synths and downright good times. While the trio continues to tear into systems of oppression in a mix of Irish and English tongue, one thing Kneecap’s always kept clear is that their music isn’t purely political, they are merely responding to issues that have already been made political, such as the oppression of Irish language and religion, or the genocidal occupation of Palestine. They recognize the importance of vocalized resistance while understanding that sometimes a message is best delivered through flailing limbs and bouncing crowds. 

Kneecap seek to find the throughline that connects the struggle of multi-century resilience with a drug induced haze. Their knack for connecting the seemingly disconnected shines through lyrically and in genre – whether the anthemic, industrial hype-session that is “Liars Tale,” or the grimy bath under bloody streetlights that is “Smugglers and Scholars.” FENIAN is a provocative letter to the powers that be, dressed in the colours of a frenetic and dazed 6AM rave.