PARADIGM SHIFT OUT SEPTEMBER 8 VIA NEXT DOOR RECORDS
WATCH / SHARE “QUIET STRENGTH” HERE
BUY / STREAM “QUIET STRENGTH” HERE
PRE-ORDER PARADIGM SHIFT HERE
Photo Credit : Adam Kelly // DOWNLOAD HIGH-RES
Last month, Polaris Music Prize nominated group, Super Duty Tough Work, announced their new album, Paradigm Shift, which is due out September 8, 2023 via Next Door Records. A mission statement of sorts, Paradigm Shift is a marker in time, a testament to Super Duty Tough Work’s constantly evolving worldview and assertion of commitment to their art and the traditions from which they’re born.
Today, the band is sharing the new video for “Quiet Strength” from the album which largely explores themes of mental illness and depression, and the juggling of those states while attempting to maintain a career. Opening with a stunning diatribe on survival by the great Audre Lorde, despite being heavy at its core, “Quiet Strength” feels more like floating through the streets, laid out, enveloped in a cloud. In mirroring the ebb and flow ways in which mental illness or bouts of depression can manifest.
“I mean, when I wrote this song, I think even though I was trying to seem optimistic, I was still very much dealing with the grief of losing a number of people who I was quite close to,” says frontman Brendan Grey. “I think that’s a recurring theme on this record that I didn’t really see until it was finished. In my mind, originally, I was like, ‘yeah this record is about opposing the system and partying and showing how fly we are and all that.’ But when I started to listen to a lot of the lyrics, there’s so many references to being sad, and crying and shit, I was like, damn, I was really depressed (laughs). At the same time, I think those are things to some degree that many people can relate to, right? Managing grief can be tricky and everyone copes in different ways, so I wanted to write something that would be familiar and somewhat comforting to anyone who might be listening, while still being personal to me and all my people.”
On the video Grey says, “This was a really fun video to make. This beat always felt like floating to me, like being on a cloud. So that's the vibe we were going for with the video: floating through the streets on a couch/cloud. The couch itself is just kind of a symbol of inactivity or being stuck. I feel that culturally there's the idea of needing to ‘get off the couch and do something!’, like the couch itself is some kind of barrier between realising one's potential or not. Also, we didn't just drive down some random streets, each street was chosen for a specific reason; the street where my great Grandmother lived and where I basically live now, an old apartment block I used to live in, the Arlington bridge, the centre of Winnipeg – Portage and Main. Even the Police Headquarters. Everything is there for a reason, even if just to add some personal meaning for myself or those around me.”
WATCH / SHARE “QUIET STRENGTH” HERE
BUY / STREAM “QUIET STRENGTH” HERE
MORE ABOUT PARADIGM SHIFT
Despite being only ten tracks, this record can be boiled down to having two distinct sides: party and revolution. On one hand, Paradigm Shift has a heavy dose of the usual witty, provocative, carefree lyricism we’ve come to expect from frontman Brendan Grey, mixed with some catchy hooks and melodic choruses sure to become ear-worms. On the other hand, the underlying themes of anti-imperialism, anti-capitalism, celebrity/idol worship and climate catastrophe can only be made to be so fun, making for an interesting dichotomy as the listener is pushed and pulled in a few very different directions throughout. The content can get pretty heavy, but in the same breath, it’s composed and presented in such a stylish and effortless manner, proving that a spoonful of honey (and a couple zoots) really does help the medicine go down. Cloaked at times in the dusty sample sound of golden era hip hop (p.s., it’s all live), while in other places utilizing a more contemporary approach such as trap hi-hats, House synths and 808 bass pads, this record clearly exemplifies the group’s growth, as we see them cover new ground both thematically and sonically. The heavy content and ear-pleasing soundscapes are so well put together that you don’t always realize that you’re listening to songs often exploring the symptoms and results of what can only be described as settler-colonialism and predatory/late stage capitalism/neoliberal economics, while also calling for the hanging of Elon Musk and redistribution of all stolen wealth hoarded by the billionaire class.
“I mean, it’s hard to summarize what this album is about, because it touches on so many different things,” says Grey. “Thematically, you could pick any one to explore, depending on what speaks to you. On one track I’m talking about how I’m the best rapper (typical), while in the next I’m calling for a complete systems overhaul. Then we’re talking about navigating depression, then Marisolle is talking about stepping in the party, looking fresh and ready to get busy. Then it’s back to straight rapping. It’s all related. I’d say though, generally, it all falls in line with our themes of ‘resistance-based debauchery’ and internationalism. Opposing the homicidal ruling class the planet is forced to endure, while at the same time having fun, celebrating the wins and each other, and indulging in joy when possible. This record really is meant to be a comfort measure for all victims of capitalism. Which is everyone (laughs).”
WATCH / SHARE “GUILLOTINE DREAMS” HERE
BUY / STREAM “GUILLOTINE DREAMS” HERE
MORE ABOUT SUPER DUTY TOUGH WORK
Inspired by the dirty jazz loop sound of 90s east coast hip hop, Super Duty Tough Work are the live incarnation of hip hop culture's quintessential era, appearing as a band (we know, stay with us) but manifesting a sound that’s more akin to something straight out of an MPC or SP-404 sampler. Revered for their methodically curated sets, SDTW mixes laidback rap action and razor-sharp delivery with effortless loops sewn together with surprising transitions, keeping audiences on their feet and salivating in anticipation as to what’s coming next. Simply put: internationalism is the theme, liberation through hedonism is the dream, and satisfaction is guaranteed from the team whose specialty is taking audiences on a journey through a culture where loops are slayed and jewels are the tools of the trade.
After being a live show only act for years, the group released their debut EP Studies in Grey, in September 2019, followed by a cross country tour. Eight months later Studies in Grey received a Polaris Prize nod in the form of a Long List nomination, followed shortly thereafter with a nomination for a Western Canadian Music Award in the category of Best Rap & Hip Hop Artist. The Polaris nod makes SDTW the first Manitoba based hip hop act to be nominated for the prize.
PRE-ORDER PARADIGM SHIFT HERE
PARADIGM SHIFT TRACKLIST
01 Mission Statement
02 First Strike
03 Guillotine Dreams
04 Grey’s Lament (Grandmotherland)
05 New Sight
06 Quiet Strength
07 Molotov Cocktails At Brunch (A Love Song)
08 Dirty Hands
09 Mood Swings
10 Far Away (Champagne Steam Rooms)