NEW ALBUM SHAME DUE NOVEMBER 1ST VIA ARTS & CRAFTS
LISTEN / SHARE “CITY TRIALS” HERE
BUY / STREAM “CITY TRIALS” HERE
PRE-SAVE / PRE-ORDER SHAME HERE
Photo Credit: Natasha Roberts // DOWNLOAD HIGH-RES
Today, OMBIIGIZI, the Anishinaabe-Canadian band led by Daniel Monkman (aka Zoon) and Adam Sturgeon (aka Status/Non-Status), share "City Trials," the final single before the release of their sophomore album, SHAME.
“‘City Trials’ is a dedication and a repetitive reminder that you can change,” says OMBIIGIZI. 'You’re not what you have done/You're not what you’ve become,' they sing over a deliberate rhythm that builds to harmonic cacophony. Through the lens of its impact on the Indigenous community, the Anishinaabe duo confront the widespread issue of addiction, and the drug companies responsible for its wildfire spread. With layered guitars and the tension of its melodies in the balance – working again with producer Kevin Drew of Broken Social Scene – OMBIIGIZI finds resolve in the struggle, and envisions a world where powerful corporate forces are held responsible for their damage to humanity.
“We recorded ‘City Trials’ after seeing what the opioid epidemic did to the Indigenous community, looking back after tens of years. I fantasized about holding the pharmaceutical companies accountable and the city would put them on trial for their crimes against the planet,” says Monkman.
LISTEN / SHARE “CITY TRIALS” HERE
BUY / STREAM “CITY TRIALS” HERE
Single Artwork // DOWNLOAD HIGH-RES
Following the recent singles "Laminate The Sky," "Connecting," and "Ziibi," OMBIIGIZI is set to embark on the starkly honest yet richly uplifting new work entitled SHAME, out November 1 via Arts & Crafts.
"Shame is a thing we all share," the band says of the album's title and core theme. "While the last album [2022’s debut Sewn Back Together] focused a lot on the positive force of healing despite odds, SHAME let’s things slide - it shares the things we don’t always say, it calls to others to heal and reminds them it’s OK - to feel, to be angry or sad, and that the world we experience can set the drag on high. But always it calls you in and forward."
WATCH / SHARE “LAMINATE THE SKY” HERE
BUY / STREAM “LAMINATE THE SKY” HERE
Through its irrepressible storytelling and captivating sonics, again recorded with Nyles Spencer with Drew at The Tragically Hip's Bathouse Studio in Kingston, Ontario – promising better tone, wider strident-to-bliss dynamics, more of what this collusion of creative souls does best – OMBIIGIZI (pronounced om-BEE-ga-ZAY, meaning this is noisy) conjure a future from the remnants of the stolen past.
“Ultimately, the main point of the songs is that within each of us is an ability to love oneself and to heal.”
LISTEN / SHARE “ZIIBI” HERE
BUY / STREAM “ZIIBI” HERE
MORE ABOUT OMBIIGIZI
The Anishinaabe revival is accelerating. Our artists are becoming more resurgent in all realms: telling the stories, singing the songs, and creating the imagery to further solidify our everlasting presence on this land. The soundtrack to this movement is diverse, profound, and beautiful. The Anishinaabe sonic revolution is richly layered and wide-reaching, inspiring and influencing all generations to gather, sing, and speak, as we’ve always done. And at the core of this renewal are artists like Ombiigizi.
Adam Sturgeon and Daniel Monkman have come together in the spirit of making noise in a good way for our people. They have documented this moment in time while paying homage to the ancestors who kept our language and stories alive. There is a deep respect and love for Anishinaabe sounds and voices. They proudly tell family and community stories, and they exquisitely conjure a hopeful future that will result from our current collective efforts to share our realities with each other and the world. - Waubgeshig Rice
WATCH / SHARE “CONNECTING” HERE
BUY / STREAM “CONNECTING” HERE
PRE-SAVE SHAME HERE
PERFORMANCE DATES
Sep 27 - Pop Montreal - MDP sur De Gaspé
Nov 22 - The Monarch Tavern - Toronto, ON
Nov 23 - TBA - London, ON
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SHAME TRACKLIST
1. Laminate The Sky
2. Street Names And Land Claims
3. Connecting
4. What Was Said
5. Hands Are Up
6. City Trials
7. Photograph
8. Ziibi
9. Oil Spills
10. Shame