Bob Vylan

The anonymous pairing of vocalist/instrumentalist Bobby Vylan and drummer Bobbie Vylan, English duo Bob Vylan attack societal ills through a raw fusion of rock, punk and U.K. rap styles. Their cutting lyrics offer incisive takedowns of their country’s systemic inequalities and social issues, backed by abrasive and high-octane instrumental work. After issuing debut album Dread in 2019, the duo moved through the 2020s with 3 further LPs: We Live Here (2020), The Price of Life (2022), and Humble As The Sun (2024). 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. After issuing The Price of Life (Deluxe) in 2023 with four new remixes, the duo set to work on a fourth LP, Humble As The Sun, which was previewed by four singles including “Dream Big.” Taking aim at critical domestic issues of wealth disparity and class struggle, the project was released in April 2024. ~ David Crone