Sydney’s indie-rap group TRIPLE ONE have released their new single and video for ‘Butter’. Their most personal song to date, ‘Butter’ centres itself on the battle against poor mental health, and acts as a running commentary on the headspace of each of the members of Triple One at the time it was being made.
Directed by Gabriel Gasparinatos and Martin Guilfoyle, the accompanying music video consists of a series of tableaus that play with ideas of vulnerability and sadness. The director’s note, “mental health is often an overlooked topic in hip-hop and we chose to frame the video around themes that tap into these sensibilities – loneliness, anger, sorrow.”
Band member Marty Bugatti shares, “My verses are about my struggle with addiction and anxiety, especially coping by hiding how you feel and not really knowing how to talk about it”. Obi Ill Terrors continues, “there wasn’t a subject in school that could help you deal with the real world.“
The contemplative verses are accompanied by an aching hook by the singer Lil Dijon, who injects an overcast melody throughout. Placed against playful, upbeat production from in-house producer Billy Gunns, ‘Butter’ is a bittersweet affair with a nostalgic aftertaste. And despite the song’s weighty subject matter, the band wants the message of the song to be clear; you’re not alone. “Iwant the audience to feel like it’s okay if you don’t find peace inside your mind”, continues Marty, “it’s more about learning to embrace the chaos of life.“
Triple One stand firmly at the forefront of the Australian hip-hop movement. With one foot planted in Sydney’s gritty rap underground, and the other in the Inner-West indie scene; Triple One are an amalgamation of sounds, beers and all-nighters, impossible to categorise and even harder to ignore. Brash bars come courtesy of rappers Marty Bugatti and Obi Ill Terrors, melodic hooks by Lil Dijon float in paranormal fashion, while intricate production is expertly crafted by Billy Gunns. A sonic experiment between hard, soft and all the textures in between; Triple One are rooted in hip-hop but explore metal, pop, punk and R&B, a testament to their versatile skill set and fierce repudiation of genre barriers.
Triple One’s early singles ‘Doozy‘ and ‘Overflow‘ clocked well more than 1 million YouTube views each, earning applause from a swelling army of fans in North America, UK and Europe that has crafted them a larger international fanbase than in their own home country.
Having accumulated serious underground buzz for years, 2018 was the year that Triple One broke into mainstream consciousness: Their singles ‘Showoff‘, ‘Tarlo‘ and ‘Valentine Kid‘ were added to high rotation on triple j, they were named the triple j Unearthed ‘Artist of the Week‘, [V] Music’s ‘Uncovered Artist of the Week‘, Apple Music’s ‘New Artist of the Week‘ and earned a spot on YouTube Music’s first ever ‘Artists To Watch‘ list.
Triple One have also beenprofiled by Complex, GQ and Highsnobiety, while Apple Music/Beats1 tastemaker Zane Lowe praised their “Brockhampton-style energy in the sense of free will and creativity.“
But onstage is where Triple One truly state their case. Having earned a notorious live reputation through relentless gigging in Sydney, their shows are a vortex of flailing limbs, spilled drinks and sweat-drenched circle pits. From head-banging anthems to tender ballads, Triple One’s sprawling performances have led to sold out headline shows around the country, support slots for YG, Smokepurpp and Lil Xan, as well as landmark festivals like Falls Festival, Listen Out and BIGSOUND.
2019 will see the group debut their headline show internationally at The Great Escape (UK), with more UK and Europe dates just announced.
‘Butter’ is out now, buy/stream it here.
Triple One on tour:
May 15 – Camden Assembly, London
May 16 – Soup Kitchen, Manchester
May 18 – Uebel & Gefahlich, Hamburg
May 19 – Muzik & Frieden, Berlin