In years to come, when someone asks me what The Thin Air was and represented, I’ll likely direct them to features like the one you have just opened. Much like other publications of our ilk – Nialler9, The Last Mixed Tape, Goldenplec and others – we spend 52 weeks of the year relentlessly championing what truly makes Irish music special and, very occasionally, genuinely world-beating. We all do it in different ways, and to slightly different audiences, but the impetus and desire to shine a light on what we have is one and the very same. Although they’re almost never…
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UD is an artist who knows who he is and what he wants. On his debut EP, Fruitless Grapevine, the Lucan rapper lays his cards on the table across five lushly produced and lyrically emotive hip-hop jams in his first attempt attempt to “build [a] legacy that echo when the signal fade away”. Fruitless Grapevine’s biggest strength comes from its most vulnerable turns. ‘Felt’, which features Chicago MC Mick Jenkins, blends perfectly crafted hooks with a deep insight into UD’s internal process. Ruminating on the impacts of anxiety and depression against a seductive mellow beat, UD handles introspection with sincerity. It’s…