After releasing their mission statement-esque debut full length Paradigm Shift in 2023, Winnipeg’s Super Duty Tough Work expands on this thought by releasing the full instrumental version of the record, accompanied by one b-side, “Watershedding”, and two previously released tracks from their debut record, Studies in Grey. Paradigm Shift Extended arrives June 7 via Next Door Records.

Switching focus from the lyrics to the music, the instrumental record offers listeners a chance to really absorb the rhythmic and harmonic ideas laid down by the band, because this is a band after all. The static-heavy syncopation of drummers Brendan Grey and Kevin Waters, with low-end support of bassist Ashley Au, only to be further embellished by bursts of sax and guitar from Olivier Macharia and Gaby Ocejo, is at the forefront of this release, as listeners are led to embrace the often overlooked foundations for the searing commentary that typically dominates Super Duty reviews.

In addition to the instrumental tracks, a lost cut from the Paradigm Shift sessions is featured. “Watershedding” is a smooth yet haunting, forward-moving yet relaxed offering, filled in typical Super Duty Tough Work fashion with sparse yet tasteful staticky piano and lyrics so layered, you’ll be looking for the footnotes to catch every reference. Navigating a new era, “Watershedding” finds frontman Brendan Grey drawing on the past as he tries to make sense of the present, lamenting on everything from mind reading algorithms and corporations supporting genocide, to the effect all of the above has on one’s psyche. Yet despite the despair, Grey maintains his wit (“My style is like the Black Adder meets the Black Panthers”), his focus (“Each move made with a purpose, stay watching like closed circuits…”) and his commitment to his listeners and the art (“So when I rhyme it’s sincerely yours”), all while continuing to show that he is the master of paying homage to his influences and citing his sources.

References to Clyde Stubblefield and James Brown are particularly poignant, as the drums on this cut (played by Grey) are caught somewhere between quintessential Stubblefield (think Funky Drummer) and a more contemporary J Dilla stutter. The crunchy keys and muffled bass are accentuated by the supremely tasteful guitar playing of JUNO Award winning jazz guitarist Joceyln Gould, and the airy vocal harmonies of Afro-Iraqi musician Ahmed Moneka, who’s voice is distant yet felt, positioned and mixed to sound more like a sample from an old record, than a live recording. Static, piano loops, thumbing kick drums, trashy hi-hats, no real chorus, hopelessness, optimism and of course, a Nas reference?! Sounds like Super Duty Tough Work.