Mango X MathMan – The Quiet Life: Huge and braggadocious beats

“Are you a person with a vision for more in this life?” asks a radio ad voice on The Quiet Life Success Plan. “Mango and Mathman were once like you.” But look at them now: yachts on the riviera teeming with supermodels, Sky TV premium channels. Hey, they can even afford rent in Dublin city.

The Quiet Life is anything but peaceful. For MC Karl “Mango” Mangan and producer Adam “MathMan” Fogarty, Dublin is always on their mind. While their well-received debut LP Casual Work took aim at the changing face of the capital, The Quiet Life sees the pair rest on their laurels, even just for a moment.

Never mind the “awards and a bunch of lists from poser kids” (Comment Section), this life is all about the graft: working hard, keeping your head down, quietly chipping away at a music career in a system that refuses to support it.

Victory lap

It’s worked, as any one of the duo’s sold-out live performances will tell you. Here the beats are huge, braggadocious, with particularly strong turns from Limerick MC God Knows (Rock N Roller) and MC Creed (Vibes) that are just waiting to blow the roof off any one of Ireland’s increasingly diminishing venues.

While it lacks the cultural commentary of debut LP Casual Work, there’s joy to be found in the celebration of this release. Mango and MathMan are taking a well-deserved victory lap, but the issues facing Dublin city are never too far away.