Doomtree – All Hands

“I got my own nation” goes the hook from All Hands’ second track, an appropriate rallying cry for a 7-piece rap ensemble that’s as much it’s own cult as it is a recording project. Minnesota's idiosyncratic Doomtree continue to operate on a wavelength all their own on their third record, delivering 13 pulverising tracks that mine everything from EDM to pop-punk in aid of maximising their anthemic potential.

Their populist leaning beats secure the group a broad appeal despite their predilection for regional in-jokes, abstract metaphors and anorak pop culture references - the sort of specialised knowledge essential to any enthusiast community. Quite what Doomtree have to offer prospective inductees isn’t so clear however; while confidently massing a rioutous campaign, All Hands never quite pinpoints a definitive target for its vitriol: “I've been lookin' for someone to blame,” admits Sims on .38 Airweight, to which P.O.S. responds “I've been thinkin' 'bout motives/I've been runnin' in place.” [Andrew Gordon]