Lucy Fitzgerald 
Toronto’s rowdiest keepers of the shanty flame, Pressgang Mutiny return with “Old Mick,” the second advance single from their forthcoming album Departure, out March 13, 2026 on Slammin Media. 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.
Public Stream Single January 9, 2026
Watch the Video for “Old Mick”
Listening to songs so you don’t have to! Just kidding :D, you totally should. Music blogger by day, nurse by night
