Winnipeg artists named to Polaris Prize long list

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This article was published 12/06/2024 (503 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Two Manitoba groups are among the 40 Canadian artists in contention for the 2024 Polaris Music Prize, selected from a pool of more than 240 albums recommended for consideration by a national jury.

It’s the second long-list nomination for both KEN Mode and Super Duty Tough Work, two Winnipeg bands whose latest works are up for the prestigious critic’s prize first awarded in 2005.

With a sound built on the foundations of hardcore and noise rock, the Juno-winning metal band KEN Mode was formed in 1999 by brothers Jesse and Shane Matthewson, developing over the past 25 years into one of the province’s most decorated and expansive acts.

Super Duty Tough Work began in the mid-2010s as a loose collective of jazzheads and hip-hop obsessives who earned a reputation for frenetic, moody live sets. Since the ever-evolving group’s debut EP Studies in Grey was released in 2019, SDTW has stayed true to its brassy golden era-infused brand of hip-hop, a style described by MC Brendan Grey as “Tylenol 3 for capitalist migraines.”

KEN Mode’s long list nod is in recognition of the band’s September 2023 Artoffact Records release Void. The completion of a two-part cycle which began with the band’s incendiary 2022 album Null, Void is a dark but accessible response to global and personal struggles with mental health and pandemic-era anguish.

On the strength of its latest album — the civic minded, system-smashing Paradigm Shift — Super Duty Tough Work is now two for two when it comes to Polaris recognition, a testament to the group’s tight-knit musicality and commitment to lyrical and political clarity.

Both 2023 albums were eligible for consideration by virtue of being produced by Canadian artists within the eligibility window, which typically spans from May 1 of the previous year to May 31 of the current one.

In order to be considered, the albums must be recommended by a member of the Polaris Jury, which this year consisted of 208 members. (The writer of this article served on this year’s jury.)

The 40-artist long list was announced June 11 in Toronto. On July 11, the list will be winnowed down to a short list of 10.

On Sept. 17, the winner of the $50,000 prize, selected by an 11-member grand jury, will be announced during a gala at Toronto’s Massey Hall.

This year’s long list includes past winners Jeremy Dutcher (2018), the Canadian half of the hip-hop collab Kaytraminé, Kaytranada (2016) and Karkwa (2010). The winner of the first prize in 2006 was Owen Pallett’s chamber pop album He Poos Clouds, released under the artist name Final Fantasy.

Last year’s prize was awarded to Toronto electronic dance artist Debby Friday, who beat out Winnipeg pop diva Begonia, who made the short list for her album Powder Blue.

A Manitoba artist has yet to win the Polaris Prize.

ben.waldman@winnipegfreepress.com