Shakalak – Change (2026)
From Baxter Dury to Pink Floyd, The Prodigy to Underworld, Irish collective Shakalak brings a distinctive brand of psychedelic hip-hop to the masses. Binding “…lyrical dexterity with musical brilliance…”, the five-some are already turning heads, entertaining audiences, and inspiring listeners. Performing at sold-out gigs across their native Ireland, releasing high-voltage, hard-hitting singles and albums, and basically bringing an oomph to anyone’s playlists, Shakalak is a band that shouldn’t fade into the background. Following the 2025 single, ‘Thinking’, John Cummins (vocal), Fin Divilly (vocal), Johnny Jude (guitar), Pafraig Dooney (synths), and Samuel Lynch (drum machine and synths) stomp into 2026 with ‘Change’.
Produced by Shakalak and Chris Barry, ‘Change’ is a song of duality. On one hand, there is a rhythmic groove of pulsating drumbeats, a bold guitar, and shimmering synths; however, on the other hand, the guitar pierces the melody with a slice of rock-flecked scorching as the drums and synths ooze with dark, dangerous grit. It’s a song that captures your heart in a wistful flood of music, but the melancholy lilt and grungy sensibilities clip at your soul with a tear-jerking, breath-taking poignancy. Haunting but empowering; tender but brash; suave but crude – ‘Change’ is a six-minute ride through tumultuous waves, subdued strain, and intense intimacy.
While the melody itself is intriguing and surprising (in the best way possible), the vocals tend to stand out. Not only is the switch from serious spoken-word to soaring song moving, but it is this oscillation that fully captures the ageless theme of change. Shakalak explain:
“’Change’ is about the daily struggle of working to make a living, and living to make our society work. The quality of a community relies on people looking after each other, especially through big struggles. The music is intended to embody the ceaseless flow of frantic modern life and people forgetting to look out for each other. It’s a cycle of us competing instead of encouraging each other, and the closing refrain of ‘change for change for change, change.. change…’ tells us it’s a hard habit to break.”
Find out more about Shakalak on their Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Bandcamp and Spotify.
This artist was sent to us by Jawdropper Music.
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