Folly Group

The authenticity and vulnerability on show makes them feel like a bunch of mates.

Folly Group have already proven their ability to fuse Afrobeat, dub and trip-hop on their two EPs - ‘Awake And Hungry’ and 2022’s ‘Human And Kind’ - and the outfit build on that pedigree with debut full-length, ‘Down There!’. ‘Big Ground’ kicks off with bare drums, sparse guitars, and a dose of gang vocals, before a wall of noise closes the track in a swirling maelstrom of righteous energy. Meanwhile, the jangly opening of ‘I’ll Do What I Can’ is followed by gritty vocals and driving guitar that evoke post-punk of all ages, from the goth-tinged ‘80s to today’s worldly stylings. The record glides effortlessly and it’s a spectacular thing to be able to make a 37-minute-long album feel like a fraction of that time, which they do by offering up sumptuous morsels and microdoses of disparate genres and elements, without ever feeling forced or misplaced. Whether they’re tackling mental health issues on the indie-rocking ‘Bright Night’ or decrying financial pressures on the stirring and discomforting ‘East Flat Crows’, the authenticity and vulnerability on show makes Folly Group feel like a bunch of mates.

Inspired by everything from jazz and hardcore to Squeeze and Danger Mouse, the London indie-rockers craft a compelling, catchy hybrid on their full-length debut.

Folly Group’s debut album Down There! features a nefarious-looking cave network as its cover. Underpinned by 10 points that relate to London locations central to the album’s creation, its artwork and title invite you to step into an uncanny underworld of the familiar. Opening with a gang vocal from all four band members, ‘Big Ground’ sends you plummeting to the subterranean depths of a complex musical world that is bound together by a dark playfulness.

Mercurial quartet set the bar for 2024 debuts

London outfit Folly Group already have two high-quality EPs under their belt. Both 2021’s Awake And Hungry and 2022’s Human And Kind turned plenty of heads in alternative circles with their blend of traditional post-punk, Afrobeat, electronica and trip-hop.

‘Down There!’ sits comfortably on an experimental, unchartered plain, a genreless crucible where the influence is audible, but scrambled in a truly unique way. Folly Group merge trip-hop, art rock and Afro-Cuban rhythms across their debut, the result a head-scratching yet awe-inspiring batch of material. An elevation of previous work, ‘Down There!’ is its own entity, ten songs interlinked by common threads but each one still stands just as amply on its own as it does in the wider scope of the record.