A Wild, Smart Debut That Belongs on Vinyl
Fine Art vinyl review – Kneecap didn’t come here to behave.
They came to rattle nerves, mock power, and leave smoke in the room.
Their debut album, Fine Art, is a riot. Not just loud, smart-loud. It hits like a half-cut poet with a megaphone, rapping in Irish, English, and pure mischief. The vinyl version? Even better. Gritty, punchy, and full of spirit. This isn’t clean, crisp hi-fi. It’s music that lives and breathes.
Let’s get into why Fine Art on wax is more than just a good time. It’s a document. A warning. And yes, a laugh.
Album Details:
Release date: 14th June 2024
Label: Heavenly
Tracklist:
A1. 3CAG
A2. Fine Art
A3. I bhFiacha Linne
A4. I’m Flush
A5. Better Way To Live
A6. Sick In The Head
B1. Love Making
B2. Drug Dealin Pagans
B3. Harrow Road
B4. Parful
B5. Rhino Ket
B6. Way Too Much
The Record Itself - Fine Art vinyl review
First impressions count, and Fine Art delivers straight out the sleeve. The cover’s a sideways wink of a warped twist on traditional art with the band front and centre, posed like troublemakers on a school trip. It plays into the album’s theme perfectly: working-class anarchy dressed in gallery clothes.
The pressing I’ve got is standard black, but there are coloured editions floating around, purple, pink, even a splatter version. Sound-wise? This thing thumps. The bass is heavy without being muddy. Vocals cut through. No nasty surface noise. The vinyl’s got life.
And that life matters. These songs feel better on wax, raw and real. They’re not built for clean earbuds. They need space to breathe and a system that can handle a bit of grit.
Who Are Kneecap?
Let’s rewind. Kneecap are Mo Chara, Móglaí Bap, and DJ Próvaí ,three lads out of West Belfast. What started as a wild experiment in bilingual rap has become a proper movement. They spit bars in both Gaeilge and English, weave in old samples, pub tales, and political rage. It’s a tightrope act between comedy and commentary.
They’re banned from the BBC. Their posters get censored. One gig in America got shut down by Homeland Security.
That’s not hype, it’s the reality of speaking truth with an accent that makes the establishment nervous. But they own it. They wear the controversy like a jacket.
The Sound: Dublin Pub Meets Bronx Block
You’ll hear old-school boom bap here. Dirty synths. Lo-fi piano loops. Spliced dialogue and TV samples that sound stolen from VHS tapes. But it’s never lazy. The production is tight, layered, and smart.
3CAG starts with strings straight out of a gangster film before dropping into a chest-rattling beat. Sick in the Head is woozy and warped, like Aphex Twin wandered into a trad session. Next is Better Way To Live, in which Grian Chatten of Fontaines, D.C., gives a spoken-word sermon that sounds as though he has been pacing a bedroom all night, chain-smoking, and yelling at the walls.
These changes are intentional rather than abrupt. It’s well-planned chaos, and it works.
Fine Art Vinyl Sound Quality: Lived-In and Loud
On vinyl, everything hits harder.
The low-end isn’t just thick, it’s warm. Tracks like I bhFiacha Linne and Rhino Ket have proper bounce. Spin them on a half-decent system and the floor starts moving.
Vocals are front and centre. You catch more detailed breaths, mutters, and little background noises that digital tends to scrub out. Skits and spoken bits feel more intimate too, like you’re eavesdropping.
There’s texture here. You feel the room these songs were made in, the smoke, the sweat, the mess.
It’s not pristine. That’s the point.
Lyrical Style: Biting, Bold, Bilingual
This is where Kneecap shine. They’re not just clever. They’re sharp.
Every bar is loaded. One line might be a joke about cheap drugs, the next a bitter jab at British rule. They talk about poverty, language, violence, hangovers, missed chances, lost friends, lost places.
They rap in Gaeilge not just as a gimmick but as resistance. There’s pride in it. Power. For non-Irish speakers, it might fly over your head, but the delivery lands. Tone tells the story. You feel it even if you don’t catch every word.
Their humour cuts close to the bone. It’s dark, fast, and unfiltered. But it’s never dumb. You need to be quick to catch the deeper stuff.
Best Tracks on Vinyl
1. 3CAG
A cinematic intro. Strings, then boom straight into the madness. Full volume required.
2. I bhFiacha Linne
This one pops on vinyl. Hard drums, tight rhythm, and all in Irish. One of the most confident tracks.
3. Rhino Ket
A hazy, twisted banger. The beat stutters and slides. The vibe’s half rave, half street corner confession.
4. Better Way To Live (feat. Grian Chatten)
A standout. Grian’s voice is pure Dublin sermon. Dark and weird and full of bite.
5. Sick In The Head
Low-key and haunted. Feels like a hungover Sunday morning. Thick with mood.
6. Fine Art
The title track is slower and more thoughtful. Vinyl brings out its vulnerability.
Skits and Transitions: More Than Filler
Some albums slap skits on as throwaways. Not here.
The sketches, weird phone calls, fake interviews, drug deals, and warped samples are part of the world. They stitch the record together. On vinyl, they’re more immersive. You’re not skipping them. You’re pulled into the full trip.
It feels like you’re drifting between late-night taxi rides and broken house parties. Every voice sounds real. Like someone you half-remember from a night out.
Artwork and Packaging
Simple but smart.
Gatefold sleeve. Glossy finish. Lyrics and liner notes included. The band stare you down on the front cover, a mix of schoolboy charm and menace.
It looks like an art school prank. But the message underneath is deadly serious.
Who’s This For?
Fans of old-school rap with a fresh voice
People who love vinyl that’s raw and loud
Anyone into Fontaines D.C., The Streets, Sleaford Mods, or even early Arctic Monkeys
Irish speakers, politics watchers, and anyone who likes their culture messy
If you want background music, this isn’t it.
This is front-and-centre stuff. Full listen. No skips.
Pressing Details
Label: Heavenly Recordings
Format: Standard black, coloured vinyl editions
Weight: 180g
Sleeve: Gatefold with printed inner
Extras: Lyrics, liner notes
Excellent sound quality.
Vinyl Thoughts
Fine Art is a rare thing: a debut album that already sounds like a greatest hits.
There’s no filler. No soft edges. Just wit, rage, pride, and beats.
On vinyl, it becomes something else, a living, breathing piece of Belfast. Full of smoke and slang. Songs about growing up, getting wrecked, getting political, and not giving a toss what anyone thinks.
Kneecap are loud. But they’ve earned the noise.
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