Mesmerizing Inuit artist Tanya Tagaq has announced a new album, the follow-up to her breathtaking Polaris Prize winning album Animism. Two years on from its release, the aptly titled Retribution is described as being “even more musically aggressive, more aggressively political”, an album informed, documenting and protesting environmental and human rights violations and abuse, and many other issues that affect all of us. Retribution “is about rape: rape of women, rape of the land, rape of children, despoiling of traditional lands without consent”, says the press release, “it’s about rejecting the toxic, militaristic outlook that’s taken over the world since the rise of Western industrial capitalism, and is rapidly destroying human life support systems through climate change and pollution.”
To bring the record to life, Tagaq collaborated with a slew of stellar artists, including violinist Jesse Zubot, who also produced the record, drummer Jean Martin, Tuvan throat singer Radik Tyülyüsh, rapper Shad, traditional Inuk singer Ruben Komangapik, and her own young daughter Inuuja.
Retribution arrives on October 21st in North America and November 18th in Europe via Six Shooter but we can already hear the first single. The poignant and intense ‘Aorta’, previously shared as an accompaniment to footage shot at the Emmanuel Vigeland Museum in Oslo, Norway, is now streaming.