OMBIIGIZI’s 2022 project, Sewn Back Together, was a collaborative statement from band founders Daniel Monkman (Zoon) and Adam Sturgeon (Status/Non-Status) that used the sounds of Anishinaabe rock revival and an Indigenous perspective to highlight much-needed societal healing and hope. This follow-up, Shame, is derived from similar sources of inspiration, but this time, it sounds much angrier, with more teeth. 

Even a track like “Connecting,” which begins as more of a soft, ’80s rock vibe, eventually explodes into a fervent and hypnotic punk diatribe from Sturgeon. We get another one during “Oil Spills,” which pleasantly descends into an almost emo-rock interlude.

Shame pushes the ever-expanding sound of OMBIIGIZI into new territories, adding stranger time signatures and more overall nerve to the atmospheric drive. This is perhaps most felt in a song like “Ziibi,” but the heartfelt thematic material and vocal switch-offs from both Monkman and Sturgeon will always be what separates OMBIIGIZI from other groups.

The collective exasperation OMBIIGIZI gestures at is displayed in songs like the grunge-gaze “Street Names and Land Claims,” and on the lead single, psychedelic pop opener “Laminate the Sky.” Yes, OMBIIGIZI sings about topics that a handful of their listeners will truly never understand because they have never lived them, but through their sonic catharsis, any audience can learn to do everything in their power to make sure the future is brighter. As they sing during “Laminate the Sky,” in our shame, there is truth.