Rex Arcum is a rap rock artist who has just come to my attention thanks to his collaboration EP with fellow Cork, Ireland-based artist Syano. It’s called COMPOUND.

By Graeme Smith

With this EP, the pair have attempted to replicate their live shows, including hip hop samples, 808s, and distorted instrumentals aplenty. The result is something dynamic and genre-bending, with a rich range of influences on display across its four tracks, including Linkin Park and Brockhampton.

We start with Awake / Owe It To Myself which also features Nashville, USA-based MNERVA. It brings with a mix of pop sensibilities, old school samples and contrasting laidback and passionate vocals. Its flow is captivating and its lyrics brim with a mix of anxiety and laissez-faire attitude.

Lead single LOTTO BOY gives us moody hip hop with hard-hitting bass and fiery lyrics. CLIQUE, featuring Cork’s LG4 Ness, is an outsider’s anthem while TOO BAD closes the EP. Another collab, this time with Spitty, it delivers a throwback groove with contemporary electronic textures.

Rex Arcum and Syano are currently lighting up Ireland’s underground scene and it’s easy to see why based on the evidence of COMPOUND. The pair throw two fingers up to convention and deliver a collection that’s full of energy and uniqueness. It feels like the right time for the rest of the world to wake up to them. I think this EP will go a long way to achieving that. You can listen to COMPOUND below.