Yesterday, Shad unveiled the latest visual release in support of his upcoming project, A Short Story About A War, on Oct. 26 via Montreal-based record label Secret City Records. He started the campaign off back in July with “The Fool Pt 1 (Get It Got It Good),” directed by Justin Broadbent.
“The Fool Pt. 3 (Frame of Mind)” is a hypnotic track produced by KAYTRANADA. The new video, also directed by Broadbent, is inspired by the classical art form of the diptych, which often contained a painting of a living person next to one of someone who had died.
Says Shad, “This song is about peace. Freedom. It’s meant to be kind of meditative. In the context of the album, it’s the last appearance by The Fool character as the record starts to wind down. ‘Frame Of Mind’ reflects on the album’s major themes – violence and peace – and finds their root in our inner world.”
“Now, the term concept album gets thrown around a lot, but Shad is going for a Romantic-era level epic.” – Noisey
Through highlighting dichotomies between night and day, death and life, war and peace in this song, Shad shows us that which we choose to see is just a product of perspective, or “frame of mind.”
Shad (Photo: Justin Broadbent)
Featuring contributions from KAYTRANADA, 2oolman of A Tribe Called Red, Lido Pimienta, Yukon Blonde, Ian Kamau, Eternia, DJ T Lo, and more, A Short Story About A War is a menacing, uplifting allegory that tackles the major issues facing our society.
Click here to pre-order/pre-save Shad’s new album, A Short Story About A War.
“Shads’s new album, A Short Story About A War, drops October 26 on Secret City Records.”
“The story is based around three warring castes, each with their own culture: Snipers (the upper class, who can kill from the safety of their perches), Revolutionaries (the violent rebellion), and the Stone Throwers (the lowest class, resorting to blind frustrated violence with no real purpose and no way out),” Shad explained to Noisey.
Watch the video for first single “The Fool Pt. 1 (Get It, Got It, Good)” here. Shad will also head out on a North American tour in November and December. Full dates below, and more will be announced soon.
Check “Frame of Mind” below along with the album’s track listing and Shad’s upcoming tour dates.
A Short Story About A War Track Listing
1. Intro: Sniper
2. The Revolution/The Establishment
3. The Stone Throwers (Gone in a Blink)
4. Get it Got it Good Intro
5. The Fool Pt. 1 (Get it Got it Good)
6. Magic Intro
7. Magic (ft. Lido Pimienta)
8. The Fool Pt. 2 (Water) (ft. Steven Mulcare)
9. Sniper Interlude
10. Peace/War
11. The Fool Pt. 3 (Frame of Mind)
12. Another Year (ft. Ian Kamau & Eternia)
13. All I Need (ft. Yukon Blonde)
Artwork for A Short Story About A War
Shad North American Tour Dates
In addition to being short-listed for the Polaris Music Prize for three of his full length records and a JUNO Award win for Rap Album of the Year in 2011, Shad is also known for hosting the Netflix Original docu-series Hip-Hop Evolution, which won an Emmy and Peabody award, and is a former host of CBC Radio’s flagship arts & culture program ‘q’.
Catch Shad across North America this November and December, starting with Waterloo, Ontario on Nov. 1.
November 1 – Waterloo, ON @ Starlite
November 2 – London, ON @ Rum Runners
November 9 – St. Catharines, ON @ FirstOntario PAC
November 10 – Hamilton, ON @ Casbah
November 15 – New York, NY @ Knitting Factory
November 16 – Washington, DC @ DC9
November 17 – Philadelphia, PA @ Boot and Saddle
November 22 – Ottawa, ON @ 27 Club
November 23 – Montreal, QC @ Le Ministère
November 24 – Quebec City, QC @ L’Anti
December 4 – Seattle, WA @ Barboza
December 5- Portland, OR @ Doug Fir
December 7 – San Francisco, CA @ Café du Nord
December 8 – Los Angeles, CA @ Moroccan
December 14 – Toronto, ON @ The Great Hall
Shad (Photo: Justin Broadbent)
