Name: Fire by The Bug
Brand: The Bug
SKU: 5054429149050
Price: 9.9 USD
Availability: OnlineOnly
Rating: 4 (98 reviews)

ALBUM Explicit

Following full-length collaborations with Earth and Dis Fig, the Bug's Fire is a return to the guest-heavy format of the artist's previous apocalyptic masterpieces, London Zoo and Angels & Devils. Kevin Martin already used the name for a 2005 single, but Fire is always an appropriate title for his work, and this album especially smolders with burning fervor, even if it's not quite as noisy and bludgeoning as some of his mid-2000s material. Bookended by dark ambient pieces featuring dystopian spoken word performances by Martin's King Midas Sound partner Roger Robinson, the remainder of the album is filled with lurching, menacing bangers that recall various eras of the Bug's discography, featuring a cast of collaborators old and new. The first of three tracks with the infallible Flowdan, "Pressure" shares its name with the second Bug album, but sounds straight out of London Zoo, delivering rough ragga-step with anti-Babylon lyrics. Even better and more innovative is "Hammer," in which Flowdan declares there's "no light at the end of the tunnel" over drilling, heart-racing beats. "Demon" is swirling, siren-scraped dancehall similar to Martin's Razor X Productions days, and "Ganja Baby," a 2012 single released as part of the Bug's short-lived Acid Ragga series, curiously makes a reappearance here. Moor Mother sounds more aggressive on "Vexed" than she did on Wrecked, the 2019 effort by Martin and Justin Broadrick's Zonal project. Making reference to viral star Bhad Bhabie, FFSYTHO sounds equally playful and grim over the tolling bells of "How bout dat." Manga Saint Hilare details the struggles of the working class on "High Rise": "We can't take the high road, we just screw face and explode." Tracks like "Clash," "War," and "Bomb" all maintain battle imagery, in multiple senses (musical, political, personal), and Fire as a whole is steadfast in its fury and perseverance. ~ Paul Simpson

1. The Fourth Day (feat. Roger Robinson)

by The Bug

Featured Artist: Roger Robinson; Main Performer
Primary Artist: The Bug
Roger Robinson; Main Performer
Composer: Kevin Martin
Roger Robinson
The Bug; Composer
Lyricist: Roger Robinson; Composer
Composer: Kevin Martin
Roger Robinson
The Bug; Composer
Engineer: Stefan Betke; Production
Mixing: The Bug In Brussels Zoo; Production
Producer: The Bug; Production
Author: Roger Robinson; Production
Composer Lyricist: Kevin Martin
The Bug
Roger Robinson; Other
Music Publisher: Copyright Control
Just Isn't Music; Other
Music Publisher: Copyright Control
Just Isn't Music; Other

2. Pressure (feat. Flowdan)

by The Bug

Featured Artist: Flowdan; Main Performer
Primary Artist: The Bug
Flowdan; Main Performer
Composer: Kevin Martin
Flowdan
Marc Veira
The Bug; Composer
Lyricist: Flowdan
Marc Veira; Composer
Composer: Kevin Martin
Marc Veira
The Bug; Composer
Engineer: Stefan Betke; Production
Mixing: The Bug In Brussels Zoo; Production
Producer: The Bug; Production
Author: Flowdan
Marc Veira; Production
Composer Lyricist: Kevin Martin
The Bug
Marc Veira; Other
Music Publisher: Copyright Control
Just Isn't Music; Other
Music Publisher: Just Isn't Music
Copyright Control; Other

3. Demon (feat. Irah)

by The Bug

Featured Artist: Irah; Main Performer
Primary Artist: The Bug
Irah; Main Performer
Composer: Kevin Martin
Ezra Bryant
Irah
The Bug; Composer
Lyricist: Irah; Composer
Composer: Kevin Martin
Ezra Bryant
The Bug; Composer
Engineer: Stefan Betke; Production
Mixing: The Bug In Brussels Zoo; Production
Producer: The Bug; Production
Author: Irah; Production
Composer Lyricist: Kevin Martin
The Bug
Ezra Bryant; Other
Music Publisher: Copyright Control
Just Isn't Music; Other
Music Publisher: Copyright Control
Just Isn't Music; Other

4. Vexed (feat. Moor Mother)

by The Bug

Featured Artist: Moor Mother; Main Performer
Primary Artist: The Bug
Moor Mother; Main Performer
Composer: Kevin Martin
Camae Ayewa
Moor Mother
The Bug; Composer
Lyricist: Moor Mother; Composer
Composer: Kevin Martin
Camae Ayewa
The Bug; Composer
Engineer: Stefan Betke; Production
Mixing: The Bug In Brussels Zoo; Production
Producer: The Bug; Production
Author: Moor Mother; Production
Composer Lyricist: Kevin Martin
The Bug
Camae Ayewa; Other
Music Publisher: Just Isn't Music
Camae Dennis (ascap) / Bird Of Terror (ascap); Other
Music Publisher: Just Isn't Music
Camae Dennis (ascap) / Bird Of Terror (ascap); Other