Release of the Week 15/10: Triple One ‘Showoff’
Hailing from Sydney’s inner west, Triple One have exploded since the release of their 2018 EP The Naughty Corner, most recently playing at the Listen Out festival on the Triple J Unearthed stage. Now in October, they’ve released ‘Showoff’, which combines their heavy beats and melodic hooks with an outstanding music video.
Sampling a melody right out of an American ballpark, the four Aussies establish their latest release in the in a more light-hearted frame than previous releases, clearly having more fun with this track. Then the beat drops, and all the fun and fanfare turn to thumping basslines and killer bars as the group charge into the song, reminding listeners that “Triple Ones go hard.” Opening with a verse from Marty Bukakke Large, Triple One immediately show how these four young Sydney-siders have some of the best lyrics and flow of any Australian rappers, with lines that show how they’ve grown out of the inner west and entered a new “intergalactic phase”, riding around their 4-door Subaru spaceship. The chorus from Lil Dijon and Obi Ill Terrors makes no apologies for who Triple One are. They are some of the best in the game and they’re not afraid to show off.
While the song is good, it doesn’t quite have the amazing hook of ‘Tarlo’ or the filthy bars of ‘Redline Reaper’. Instead, where ‘Showoff’ truly stands out is in its music video. Featuring the four Triple Ones along with other Sydney artists, like rapper ChillinIt and Johnny Hunter’s Nick Hutt, the four go back to school, filling a hall for a school photo shoot fit with loose ties, untucked shirts and undone top buttons. Moving out of the school hall and into the playground, it’s the games of handball and Toohey’s Draught tins that bring the distinct local culture that Triple One’s music embodies to the forefront. Despite how big they are getting; they are still heavily rooted in Sydney’s inner west and the outstanding music video is a reminder to never forget your roots.
