With TOP FLOOR STRAYS, Dublin crew Outstraight make a compelling case for the enduring power of the rap collective with a reminder that hip-hop built on character and chemistry still hits with enormous force when it’s done well. And this is done very well.

NO WEAPONS sets the tone perfectly full of sunlit warmth with the kind of beat that could have been built by Cut Chemist and Nu-Mark, full of bounce and good energy passing the mic around the crew with joyous togetherness. From there TOP FLOOR STRAYS moves between two very satisfying poles with celebratory and communal old-school boom-bap on one side and a much darker strain on the other that leans into the menace and swagger of classic Wu-Tang Clan. Some of these tracks have a nocturnal, criminal air to them, whilst others are based on big choruses delivered in unison for a crowd to shout back and a sense that everyone involved is having a great time. The MCs invite you to a party, and then start to warn you what might happen when you arrive, bright and breezy one moment but grimy and dangerous one track later. No Venom’s production is central to the variety, and he also crops up as a fantastic MC throughout, full of evil swagger. Beano brings bounce to his flow with verses that feel physical and full of movement whilst Conkan trips over syllables at speed delivering some of the album’s most exhilarating bursts of technical precision. Donkobz has the best brags, and Panda Drey shifts from cheeky to genuinely threatening in a heartbeat with everybody feeling distinct. Everyone brings something different, with the thick Dublin accents only deepening their identities. GULLYMUN is a particularly rotten standout, whilst STONE AGE METHODS brings in a dreamy, degraded feel, and the closer STRAYS brings in Verb T for a neat full-circle moment. If you’re into classic boom-bap hip-hop, then TOP FLOOR STRAYS is a gift. Boys done good.