Rap/punk rising star Hyphen has announced his long-awaited EP, Here To Stay, which will be released on 20th November. Across six tracks, the record wrestles with political frustration and grief, but its central theme is endurance.
The EP gathers together the previously released singles SAID WHAT I SAID, HYDRA and Go Back alongside three brand new songs. Leading the new material is the lead single and closing track, We Are One.
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We Are One is an impassioned rallying cry for the NHS. Hyphen wrote it while his father was in intensive care following a serious and near-fatal car crash, at a time when the family didn’t know whether he would pull through.
“My Dad nearly died in a car crash a few weeks ago. I wrote this while he was in intensive care, unsure of whether he’d live or not,” Hyphen explains. “NHS staff from all around the world worked tirelessly to answer the prayers of families hoping their loved ones would survive.”
“I bonded with total strangers with totally different backgrounds and experiences over our shared proximity to death. That experience made me feel that most humans are good, most humans care – we are one.” Hyphen’s full statement on the song can be read here.
That idea of survival runs through the whole EP. Hyphen describes Here To Stay as a collection of songs about getting through hard times, whether they are personal, political or both.
“Here To Stay is an EP about survival. My father surviving a car crash. Humans surviving political crisis. Immigrants surviving racism. Me surviving suicide,” he says. “The world is undeniably dark. But there’s light everywhere. Human’s adaptability and resilience is unquestionable.”
“I hope the EP is something people can hold onto when they feel hopeless. I hope it gives focus to the rage we feel at the parasitic richest among us who would burn the world instead of confronting the abyss within them.”
He adds: “‘I used to think I was a human experiencing the universe, now I think I’m the universe experiencing a human.’ We are all part of the same fabric, the music is a reminder of that. I hope you find comfort in it.”
Fans won’t have to wait until release day to celebrate. Hyphen is throwing an EP launch party on 3rd November at the Elephant’s Head in Camden, with the festivities getting underway from 7pm.
As well as a live performance from Hyphen and his band, the night will be steeped in traditional South Asian culture. Celebratory garlands will be handed out, and a henna artist will be drawing traditional henna art on attendees.
Later in November, Hyphen heads out on the road in support of punk duo Kid Kapichi on their UK headline tour. The run opens at Electric Bristol on 12th November, before taking in Falmouth, Southampton, Norwich, Glasgow, Nottingham and Manchester.
The tour wraps up at London’s Outernet on 20th November, the same day Here To Stay is released, making it a fitting way to mark the EP’s arrival. Tickets are on sale now and available here.
It rounds off a big year on stage for the London-born artist. In April and May, Hyphen played his biggest UK headline tour to date, which sold out and included a show at London’s Scala, with Native James, Mudrat and Gen and the Degenerates joining him as support.
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This summer he also played a string of festivals including Green Man, 2000 Trees, Kendal Calling and Boomtown. He has previously appeared at The Great Escape, Reading & Leeds and Latitude.
Hyphen blends rap, punk and hip-hop, and his live shows have earned him a reputation as a real force of nature. He is all about creating a safe space and a community for like-minded people, and spends most of his set out in the crowd bringing everyone together.
His songs tackle serious subjects, from his own battles with mental health and racism to politics and immigration. Yet they are often tongue-in-cheek too, delivered with a healthy sense of mischief.
The accolades have been stacking up along the way. Billed as the biggest South Asian rock artist in the UK, Hyphen is a former Spotify RADAR and BBC Introducing Future Sounds artist, and a recipient of the PRS Momentum fund, whose previous winners include Sam Fender and Little Simz.
He has also picked up co-signs from Hollywood star Jennifer Coolidge and activist and wealth inequality campaigner Gary Stevenson, and has racked up millions upon millions of streams. With Here To Stay on the way, the EP’s title feels like a statement of intent.
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Hyphen’s upcoming live dates, including the Camden launch party and his run of shows with Kid Kapichi, are as follows.
3rd November – The Elephant’s Head, Camden (EP launch party)
12th November – Electric Bristol, Bristol (supporting Kid Kapichi)
13th November – Princess Pavilion, Falmouth (supporting Kid Kapichi)
14th November – The 1865, Southampton (supporting Kid Kapichi)
15th November – Waterfront, Norwich (supporting Kid Kapichi)
17th November – SWG3, Glasgow (supporting Kid Kapichi)
18th November – Rock City, Nottingham (supporting Kid Kapichi)
19th November – New Century Hall, Manchester (supporting Kid Kapichi)
20th November – Outernet, London (supporting Kid Kapichi)
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