Sudbury rap artist Mickey O’Brien recently released the second single from his upcoming album, Orebody, which drops Sept. 29.
For “On Guard,” he delves deep into his psyche to tackle the emotion of fear. The anxiety of the artist is made palpable through his mind-splitting lyrics, taking your brain to another dimension. The banging boom bap beat from Juno-nominated producer Fresh Kils is further enhanced by eerie guitar strumming, frantic fiddling, and a haunting piano, while DJ Versatile’s precise cuts on the intro and chorus increases the intensity of the song.
The accompanying remix from The Dirty Sample trades the Fresh Kils production for a boom bap beat of banging drums and soaring strings.
The video for “On Guard” is the first part of a three act series of videos from Orebody born from Mickey O’Brien’s obsession with Tarot cards, directed and shot by long-time collaborator Dan Jardine (Boom Shoal) and produced by O’Brien over three days at several locations throughout the GTA.
Act 1 is The Fool, and it examines the consequences of ignoring the signs from the universe on the journey of life, doomed to repeat the lessons of the past.
You can check out O’Brien’s single on a variety of digital platforms. (Note: the track features adult language and themes).
O’Brien spent the past few years focused on one thing: crafting great art. Even prior to his emergence as a solo artist in 2019, while still a member of rap-rock outfit Kill the Autocrat, The musician proved himself a powerful voice of the north for hip-hop.
His music captures a fresh and exciting perspective – one that is both universally human and distinctly Northern Ontario.
And as a hard-rock miner working thousands of feet underground, O’Brien is a blue-collar worker who also excels at compelling stories, “no BS” observations, and skilful, conversational lyricism.
