about tebi rex

Photo source: @Olutobii

“Matt Ó and Max Zanga are two young Kildare-based boys who have been building a fine head of steam in Irish music under the umbrella of the Word Up Collective over the last couple of years with influences derived from the zeitgeist intersection between trap, R&B and DIY pop.

The duality between the duo’s styles is the catalyst to their sound. Max Zanga is the rapper, capable of rhyming over dance rhythms, summer jams and acoustic pop. Matt Ó is his melodic foil, providing earworm hooks and heart-on-sleeve choruses.” 

– The Irish Times

“Their tracks ‘Number 1 Symbol Of Peace’ and ‘Financial Controller’ also generated a particularly good response and got them named as one of RTE 2FM’s Rising acts for 2019.

We had also praised their talent in Hotpress last February, when they were chosen as a part of our Hot for 2019: Irish Acts List.

Their music had made quite the impression: “filled with complex, sometimes caustic lyrics, and hooks catchier than the wintertime sniffles. Their sprawling, space rock-meets-nerdcore collab with The Blizzards (‘I Need A Win’) was a mainstream-prodding highlight, while ‘Men Are Trash’, the lead single from EP Welcome To The Darkest Year Of Our Adventures, saw them gamely tackle sexism whilst flipping some hip hop stereotypes on their head.”

– Hotpress Magazine

 

The boys have since launched their much anticipated debut album “The Young Will Eat The Old”, a collection of songs split into 3 acts, following the concept of the rise & fall of celebrity – tastefully twinned with a greek mythological spin. It is truly Tebi Rex’s most defining piece of work and shows what makes them undeniably different than anyone before them; receiving write-ups and big acclaim from outlets like Hot Press Magazine, District Magazine, The Irish Times, and international outlets like Hot New Hip Hop (U.S) and The Line Of Best Fit (UK). They also announced their debut performance stateside – in Austin, Texas for SXSW in 2020.


 “A marked display of growth…” (District Magazine) 


“A clever and engaging debut….” (Dan Hegarty, RTÉ 2fm album of the week) 


“Lyrical precision….” (The Line Of Best Fit) 


Album of the Week (PLAYIRISH) 


“An invigorating debut….” (Irish Times Culture)