Fine Art is the debut studio album by Irish Hip-hop trio Kneecap, released on 14 June 2024 through Heavenly Recordings. It is produced by Toddla T and includes guest appearances by Radie Peat, Grian Chatten, Nino, and Jelani Blackman. The album received positive reviews from critics and debuted at number two in Ireland.
Critical reception
Fine Art received a score of 79 out of 100 on review aggregator Metacritic based on eight critics' reviews, which the website categorised as "generally favourable" reception. Mojo opined that "the wild times end on a poignant, giddy high with 'Parful' – a house-y banger raving about everyday hedonism transcending sectarian violence – an irresistible distillation of Kneecap's peacetime party music". Uncut called it "overly indebted to its inspirations – among them Ghetts, Stormzy and the Streets – it may be, but the stroppy 'I Bhfiacha Linne' and 'Rhino Ket', a moody techno/dancehall hybrid, are hard to deny".
Andrew Trendell of NME gave Fine Art a full five stars, praising the album's rave qualities and for keeping the Irish language alive, adding that it "couldn’t sound any more alive...That’s power – and Kneecap have it". DIYs Lisa Wright described the album as "in its own warped way, as its title suggests: a fully-immersive, conceptual production that, much like their recent Sundance award-winning biopic, is far, far too clever to just be the work of three miscreants". Chris Sneddon of The Skinny found that it "has its ups and downs, it can be deep, it can be controversial, but in the long run, it's a good laugh and a thumping good time" as well as "a banging collision of rap and rave music".
Year-end lists + Select 2024 year-end rankings for Fine Art Publication/critic Accolade Rank Best Albums of the Year 202446Louder Than War Top 100 Albums of 202444Mondo Sonoro Best International Albums of 202448NME 50 Best Albums of 202413Rough Trade UK Albums of the Year 202426 20 Albums of 20244 25 Best Albums of 20245 10 Best Albums of 202410Vogue The 36 Best Albums of 2024
Track listing
Notes On physical editions, the interludes do not include "Interlude" in the title and are listed as unnumbered tracks. "3CAG" contains a sample of "Caravan" by Joe O'Donnell. "I bhFiacha Linne" contains a sample of "Cübik" by 808 State. "Harrow Road" contains elements from "Creeper" by Nick Detnon. "Parful" contains excerpts from the film Dancing on Narrow Ground written and directed by Des Bell. A demo of "Glue Man" was included as a bonus track on digital downloads of the album during its first week of release.
Personnel Kneecap Móglaí Bap – vocals Mo Chara – vocals DJ Próvaí – vocals
Additional contributors Toddla T – production, mixing James Eager – engineering Tom Coll – drums ("I'm Flush", "Better Way to Live") Adrian McLeod – synthesizer, keyboards ("I'm Flush", "Way Too Much"); piano ("Better Way to Live", "Way Too Much"), synth bass, synth pad ("Better Way to Live"), bass ("Way Too Much") Grian Chatten – vocals ("Better Way to Live") Andy Nicholson – bass ("Better Way to Live") Steven Loughrin – flute ("Drug Dealin Pagans") Manchán Magan – guest vocals ("Drug Dealin Pagans") Lisa Canny – choir ("Way Too Much") Saara Kaldma – choir ("Way Too Much") Gertrud Aasaroht – choir ("Way Too Much") Tony McHugh – choir ("Way Too Much") Colin Andrews – choir ("Way Too Much") Aoife O'Dea – choir ("Way Too Much")
Charts + Chart performance for Fine Art Chart (2024) Peakposition
References