WATCH AND SHARE “NSHWAASWI” HERE
WARRIOR DOWN OUT NOW VIA YOU’VE CHANGED RECORDS
BUY / STREAM WARRIOR DOWN - PHYSICAL / DIGITAL
“Warrior Down takes you for a sonic hike — sometimes through the wilderness, sometimes through a wasteland — never staying long in one spot or indicating the next direction. With long instrumentals that dance between chaos and calm, it's a subconscious assault on the emotions.” - Exclaim!
“Warrior Down is a perfectly paced and arranged set of songs and instrumental interludes, each a movement in its own right but ultimately in service to the record’s overarching theme.” - Dominionated (#1 Album of 2019)
“Whoop-Szo released its powerful new album, Warrior Down, at the end of 2019, giving us an impossible-to-categorize, rock-psych-sometimes-folk set of 10 songs that draw on vocalist and lyricist Adam Sturgeon's experience as an Anishinaabe-Canadian, writing about the intergenerational trauma within his family and his Anishinaabe community" - CBC Music
“Sitting at the meeting point of sludgy post-metal, and jagged folk-punk, WHOOP-SZO craft melodies that perform the dual function of encouraging your rapt attention, and effectively melting into.” - Beatroute
“Nshwaaswi” Video Still
Today, WHOO-Szo are sharing the video for “Nshwaaswi” from recent acclaimed LP, Warrior Down. “Nshwaaswi” is “the number Eight in the Anishinaabe language and is the name of the eighth song on our record Warrior Down,” says Adam Sturgeon. “Much of anishinaabe culture is based around the number seven, most notably our 7 Grandfather Teachings (Truth, Love, Bravery, Respect, Humility, Honesty and Wisdom) and the stages of life. We also have a prophecy that talks about an 8th fire or stage that we as humans can choose to light. The 8th fire of prosperity, love and well-being. An eternal fire of peace.”
The video for “Nshwaaswi” continues where the video for “Gerry” left off, featuring more archival 8mm footage unearthed in Sturgeon’s parent’s crawlspace. Here, videographer Travis Welowszky propagates an apocalyptic vacation, complete with doomsday boat rides, caged spirit guides and all the other privileges enjoyed at the expense of the 8th fire.
WATCH AND SHARE “NSHWAASWI” HERE
While the current world situation may have put Whoop-Szo’s touring plans on hold with over 50 dates cancelled, the band is not sitting still. Be on the lookout for new releases coming in the very near future.
MORE ABOUT WHOOP-SZO
Listed as one of The Most Underrated Albums of 2019 by Exclaim!, Warrior Down presents a vast and barren landscape associated with the harsh truth of Canadian History, a post-colonial firestorm harbouring moments of doom and heavy introspection while remaining true to their psychedelic aesthetic.
WHOOP-Szo is a force of nature, sprung from a mixed-blooded experience of Canadian history with deep Anishinaabek roots. Thunderous and ground-breaking, harmonious and generative—a WHOOP-Szo show envelops audiences in an emotional weather-storm that dances conscientiously between anger and discipline, frustration and hope. They tell us about colonial injustice loudly and punishingly, with haunting chord changes and monolithic distortion. They explore the possibility of wisdom and empowerment, with acoustic melodies that calmly find space within crushing layers of politics and sound. On stage and off, WHOOP-Szo engage communities with a powerful synchrony that invites people to feel and to heal. They are passionate storytellers who knock loudly on the door, and will reward you tenfold for letting them in.
WATCH WHOOP-SZO LIVE ON CBC q HERE
Warrior Down harnesses their power into a concise, focused 35 minutes on wax, calling out both specific instances of injustice in Canadian history — as we see in “Gerry”, or recalling Sturgeon’s grandfather’s experience at a Residential School (“Gerry”, “Cut Your Hair”) — and broader, wider-reaching ones such as the experience of having race and culture assigned to you by a government that doesn’t represent you (“6.1/6.2”).
WATCH AND SHARE “AMARUQ” HERE
WATCH AND SHARE “GERRY” HERE
BUY / STREAM WARRIOR DOWN - PHYSICAL / DIGITAL
MORE PRAISE FOR WHOOP-SZO
“A true psychedelic group ... For WHOOP-Szo, punk, DIY and psych principles go beyond music scene bubbles and fuse with Indigenous solidarity and healing through music.” - NOW
“WHOOP-Szo has perfected their eclectic sounds, binding the paradox of indistinguishable familiarity with themes of Canadian history, language, and culture.” - VICE
“It’s scary how good this band is” - Exclaim!
Photo Credit : Rima Sater // DOWNLOAD HIGH-RES
