Thundamentals

Since 2008,Thundamentals have packaged charming tales of first world mundanities with social commentary, tightly wound rhymes, live instruments, and the spirit of backpack rap, refining and expanding on the formula with each release. Katoomba High School friends Jeswon (Jesse Ferris), Tuka (Brendan Tuckerman), producer Morgs (Morgan Jones) named the group for the heavy rain of their hometown outside Sydney. On 2014’s So We Can Remember, the clique merges the technically precise raps of influences like A Tribe Called Quest and Black Star with pop sensibilities. Still, “The Groundhog Song” is a trenchant reflection on racism that shows the group’s willingness to have difficult conversations. Subsequent albums like 2017’s Everyone We Know see the group mine nostalgia and romance with naked sensitivity, as artists who know that life is short, and the chances to say what you feel are even shorter.