Known for reviving the raw, working-class spirit of traditional sea shanties, the quartet pushes that legacy forward here, blending their signature four-part firepower with contemporary urban production. It lands like a deck-stomper, full of rhythm, grit, and the kind of communal lift built for crowded rooms. Pressgang Mutiny have built their reputation on the road and at sea, traveling the world to uncover shanties, work songs, and the people keeping them alive. Departure marks their most ambitious leap yet and explores the musical connections that have always lived inside this tradition.

The sea shanty cannon, a synthesis of African-American and AfroCaribbean rhythmic call and answer forms combined with gritty Irish folk vocals, are wedded on this album with historical shanty samples, drum machine production, and musical collaborations with Toronto hip-hop, reggae, and dancehall veterans and rising stars, all weave into the album’s wider vision without losing the salt and sweat that define their sound. “Old Mick” unapologetically kicks open a door while keeping one boot planted in tradition.

The track pulls from its capstan and railroad song roots, built on calland-response vocals shaped for muscle and momentum. Pressgang Mutiny deliver it with thick harmonies, tight phrasing, and a rhythmic push that feels equal parts archival and alive and new. Their arrangement nods to the versions they have encountered across the Atlantic, but the energy is unmistakably theirs, delivered with a hard hitting modern North American attitude. It is loose, loud, and meant to be sung shoulder to shoulder. There is a lived-in credibility here that comes from singers who have actually handled lines, decks, and sails, not just chased the romance of the stories.

Across their twelve years together, Pressgang Mutiny have moved from Toronto pub sessions to major maritime and folk festivals across Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, The Caribbean, France, Germany, Poland, and beyond. They have carried shanties from tall ships to conference stages, including Official Showcases at Folk Music Ontario in 2023 and Folk Alliance International. Their first two records, Pressgang Mutiny (2016) and Across the Western Ocean (2020), were reissued in early 2025 and have helped drive their growing audience online and on the road.

Departure expands that story further. Featuring collaborations with reggae and dancehall artists such as Carl Harvey of Toots and the Maytals, Sunray Grennan, and Toronto hip-hop artist Matt Somber, the project treats the shanty as a living global form rather than a museum piece. The crew lean into that idea with curiosity and respect, stitching new textures around melodies that have crossed oceans for centuries. “Old Mick” offers another look at how the group is stretching the tradition without breaking its spine.

Pressgang Mutiny are Richard Kott, James McKie, Tim Pyron, and Stefan Read. They are tall ship sailors, arrangers, researchers, teachers, and performers who approach this music with equal parts scholarship and swagger. Whether leading festival workshops, hosting their ongoing podcast The Shanty Show, or tearing through a late-night pub set, they bring the same mix of history and heat. With Departure on the horizon and international touring underway across Canada, and the United Kingdom, 2026 is shaping up to be their busiest year yet.

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