Irish hip hop duo Tebi Rex release their new album, It's Gonna Be Okay, on Friday. We asked them the BIG questions . . .
Since the release of their first album, 2019’s Greek mythology inspired The Young Will Eat The Old, the band's music has being used on the soundtrack for Normal People, and they’ve played shows at SXSW and Eurosonic.
Alongside moments of pop sunshine, the new album tackles life in modern Ireland, politics, the Irish language, racism, death, anxiety, austerity, social media, and a moment of clarity on a rainy Dublin evening.
"It's about a boy learning to cope, to be happy in a world that feels like it's on fire. We're tryna be optimistic for once. Sorta." the duo say.
Tebi Rex play Dublin’s Opium Rooms on November 20 and will be touring the UK in 2022.
Tell us three things about yourselves . . .
We first met at an inter-society talent show in Maynooth SU. Where one of us came first and one of us came second. Legend has it the winner cheated but we'll save that for another day.
We are obsessed with Kate Nash; we guarantee you we will meet her someday. She follows us on Twitter right now, so that's a start.
We have a deal where if one of us dies, the other should 100% cash in on that in any way possible. This is what true friendship looks like.
How would you describe the music?
I guess the greater umbrella we fall under is alt-hip hop. The reason for that is we are a hip hop act at our core, but we love to dip in and out of different genres. Whether it's pop, rock, punk, jazz, we'll make that sound if the feeling is right for that song. Plus, we have a broad taste in what we listen to, so we tend to just make what we like. If I had to compare us to anyone, I would say if RIzzle Kicks had more mood swings, that'd be pretty close.
Who are your musical inspirations?
Personally, I was really into Chance the Rapper, Noname, and Childish Gambino when we first started making music, and that really shaped my style as a hip hop artist going forward. Any artist that makes lyric-heavy songs and writes in an almost-poetry-style is what I love the most. That's why I'm a massive Fynch fan at the moment too.
I know Max's influences stem from Earl Sweatshirt, and Kate Nash too. To explain why Kate Nash is there, is because she writes and performs her music with a lot of personality, and that's something we try to inject into our music. So, shout out to the Queen, Kate!
What was the first gig you ever went to and the first record you bought/downloaded/streamed?
My first gig was The Coronas in the Olympia. Miracle Bell were on support at the time. I think I was 15 or 16. I'll never forget it because the power went out halfway through the set, so Danny and the boys tossed out some flashlights into the crowd and they continued acoustically. At the end I caught the drummer's drumstick after he launched it into the crowd. I was then wrestled to the ground by another audience member who went on to pull back each individual one of my fingers from the drumstick, peeling my hand off of it before they then stuffed the drumstick down their . . . more intimate hiding places. Whoever you are, you were in your 30s and I was 15. I'm grown now and want a rematch. Winner gets the stick.
My first record was Usher - 8701. I love that album to this day. It had some of the first songs I ever knew off by heart, and I remember watching the music videos on my TV trying to replicate all of Usher’s moves. That man was the soundtrack to my early childhood. Seriously, check the track list on that album cause it's actually crazy good, '00's RnB at its finest.
What is your favourite song right now?
Oooooh! This is a tough one. Maybe it's because I saw them smash the Button Factory this week but I'm gonna say Monjola & Aby Coulibaly’s Where U At?
What is your favourite lyric of all time?
On Paranoia by Chance The Rapper, he draws you into the emotions of being around a volatile and violent Chicago during the summer period: "It just got warm out, this the s*** I've been warned 'bout, I hope that it storm in the mornin', I hope that it's pourin' out, I hate crowded beaches, I hate the sound of fireworks, And I ponder what's worse, Between knowing it's over and dyin' first, 'Cause everybody dies in the summer, Wanna say your goodbyes, tell them while it's spring, I heard everybody's dying in the summer, So pray to God for a little more spring"
The violence is Chicago is not something I could relate to, but I remember this song really shaking me the first few times I heard it. Between the lyrics, performance, and an eerie held-back instrumental, you can really feel a sense of worry and paranoia from Chance on this track. Honestly it still gets me every time I listen.
If you could listen to one song for the rest of your life what would it be?
Either Chanel by Frank Ocean, or Saba - Stay Right Here.
Where can people find my music and info?
We're everywhere. YouTube, Instagram, Twitter, Spotify, Apple Music, Tinder, you name it.
We're kinda funny on Twitter so I'd recommend that perhaps. Actually no, I recommend all of our socials, let's be friends in all formats:
ig: Tebirexofficial
Twitter: Tebirex
TikTok: Matt_o
