Kneecap are a hip-hop trio from Northern Ireland with a strong republican message in their raps, aided here by Grian from Fontaines DC.

Someone recently dismissed the young hip-hop trio Kneecap to me as (Northern) Ireland’s answer to Goldie Looking Chain.

I think that’s unfair because the Welsh crew are self-confessed “comedy rappers” whereas Kneecap – rappers Mo Chara and Móglaí Bap, and beatmaker DJ Próvaí – are nothing if not serious.

Deadly serious.

True there’s an element of comedy in their satire – an early single was called Get Your Brits Out – but the humour is a means to a serious end. And that end is the republican message of the title.

Another difference is that they rap in both English and Irish, addressing issus in their homeland ranging from everyday living conditions to political protest, always with the underlying plea for a united Ireland.

Second album Fine Art, produced by Toddla T, is out this week and expands their musical landscape from hip-hop into rave, post-punk and even folk music. The band is the subject of a feature length comedy-drama, also titled Kneecap.

This track, Better Way to Live, features Grian Chatten of Fontaines D.C., is the first single from Kneecap’s second album, conceived as a night out at an imaginary pub called the Rutz, and featuring further guest appearances from Lankum’s Radie Peat and former BBC Radio 1 DJ Annie Mac.