Pressgang Mutiny Set Sail With Departure, Sailing Centuries-Old Songs Straight Into The Modern World
With over 400,000 streams and a growing global audience, Pressgang Mutiny enter 2026 with strong momentum behind their new project, Departure. The release launches a wide international rollout across Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Ireland, Poland, and Germany, supported by touring, campus and folk radio promotion, digital campaigns, and new visual content. More than just an album, Departure positions sea shanties as living, evolving music — songs meant to travel, adapt, and be sung together across cultures and generations.
Formed in 2013, the Toronto-based group — Richard Kott, James McKie, Michael O’Grady, Stefan Read, and DJ Chaotic Vibrance — has built its reputation by treating traditional maritime songs as active tradition rather than historical artifacts. Through extensive travel across Canada, the Caribbean, the United States, the United Kingdom, and Europe, they’ve learned directly from communities who keep the music alive, performing everywhere from tall ships to major folk and maritime festivals while blending research, performance energy, and the communal spirit that originally shaped shanties. ⚓🎶
At its core, Departure explores journeys both literal and musical, drawing on the long tradition of sea shanties as songs of movement, labor, and longing. Across twenty tracks, Pressgang Mutiny connect classic maritime material with global styles that share a similar rhythmic and communal spirit, blending Irish folk grit and Afro-Caribbean call-and-response traditions with touches of hip-hop production, dancehall, ska, and historical samples. Traditional favorites like “Old Mick,” “Santiana,” “Haul Away Joe,” and “Rio Grande” keep their driving energy, while songs such as “Lowlands,” “Mingulay,” and “Deep Blue Sea” highlight the emotional storytelling at the heart of the genre, all anchored by the group’s signature four-part harmony.
The album also emphasizes collaboration and cultural exchange, featuring guests like Carl Harvey of Toots and the Maytals, Sunray Grennan, DJ Jasper Gahunia, and Matt Somber, reinforcing the idea that shanties have always evolved through shared musical influences. Beyond recording, Pressgang Mutiny continue to champion the tradition through their podcast and educational workshops, alongside appearances at events such as Mystic Sea Music Festival and Whitby Folk Week, helping keep sea songs active and connected to new audiences. ⚓🎶
Pressgang Mutiny Live
- March 22, 2026 – Tranzac (Shanty Sing), Toronto, ON
- March 26-28, 2026 – Spring Tide Shanty Fest, St. John, NB
- March 29, 2026 – Cuckoo’s Nest Folk Club, London, ON
- April 12, 2026 – Departure CD Release,
- July 31-August 7, 2026 – Sidmouth Folk Week, Sidmouth, UK
- August 15, 2026 – Morecambe Maritime Festival, Morecambe, UK
- August 21-23, 2026 – FolkEast, Suffolk, UK
- August 24-28, 2026 – Whitby Folk Week, Whitby, UK
- August 30-31, 2026 – Shrewsbury Folk Festival, Shrewsbury, UK
Make sure you check out Departure on Spotify below and over on your favorite streaming platform!
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