Startafight by Joey Valence and Brae sounds like the most raucous Beastie Boys' single since Sabotage

By Paul Brannigan
published

Ever wondered what Beastie Boys would sound like produced by The Prodigy's Liam Howlett? Then check out Startafight by Joey Valance and Brae

Joey Valence and Brae
(Image credit: Kiyah Lugue)

The tragic death of Adam Yauch in 2012 spelled the end of the Beastie Boys, one of the most life-affirming, exhilarating and inspirational musical acts of the past half-century.

And while it would be impossible for anyone to replicate the New Yorkers' uniquely playful, genre-detonating rhyming and squealing, we gotta hand it to Pennsylvania duo Joey Valence and Brae, friends since their college days at Penn State University, who do an excellent job of evoking the spirit of early '90s MCA, Ad Rock and Mike D on irresistible new single Startafight. 

Even the song's video, filmed using a doorbell camera, harks back to the '90s Beasties circa Check Your Head / Ill Communication.

Ch-check it out below:

Joey Valence and Brae kick off their 2022 World Tour in Seattle later today, July 1.

The tour hits Europe later in the summer, and the duo will play a headline show at Colours Hoxton in London on August 24 ahead of their scheduled appearances at Reading festival (August 26) and Leeds festival (August 27).

Paul Brannigan
Paul Brannigan
Contributing Editor, Louder

A music writer since 1993, formerly Editor of Kerrang! and Planet Rock magazine (RIP), Paul Brannigan is a Contributing Editor to Louder. Having previously written books on Lemmy, Dave Grohl (the Sunday Times best-seller This Is A Call) and Metallica (Birth School Metallica Death, co-authored with Ian Winwood), his Eddie Van Halen biography (Eruption in the UK, Unchained in the US) emerged in 2021. He has written for Rolling Stone, Mojo and Q, hung out with Fugazi at Dischord House, flown on Ozzy Osbourne's private jet, played Angus Young's Gibson SG, and interviewed everyone from Aerosmith and Beastie Boys to Young Gods and ZZ Top. Born in the North of Ireland, Brannigan lives in North London and supports The Arsenal.