Bob Vylan

The wryly titled pairing of vocalist/instrumentalist Bobby Vylan and drummer Bobbie Vylan, English duo Bob Vylan attack societal ills through a raw fusion of punk and U.K. rap styles.
Formed in the late 2010s, London-based duo Bob Vylan rose to prominence through self-sufficiency, using show and merch revenue to support their musical aims. Without a manager and fiercely independent, the duo debuted with 2017 EP Vylan, forming a potent early sound around jagged guitar lines and hazy takes on the U.K. trap scene. A series of further singles and the Lunch EP (2018) made way for the duo’s first album, Dread. An eight-track set taking inspiration from trap-metal, U.K. hip-hop, and punk, the project addressed issues of racism and class appropriation, capped off with a reworking of Skepta’s “It Ain’t Safe.” After closing out the year with singles including the provocative “Lynch Your Leaders,” the duo found their breakout moment with 2020’s “We Live Here,” a raw assault on Britain’s xenophobia delivered with smashing drums and howling vocals. Continuing the aim of making music that speaks directly to social injustice, they released a second LP, We Live Here, which offered a blaring, ten-track rally against the political administration, income disparity, and the rise of right-wing ideology. Finding increasing success online, the pair quickly set the stage for a third LP with a pointed reflection on the U.K.’s cost of living crisis, “GDP.” This was followed the next year with 2022’s The Price of Life: marking an expansion of the duo’s lyricism, the group’s rap-heavy third album rallied against economic desperation, state-based oppression, and technological surveillance. ~ David Crone