Toronto-based multidisciplinary artist Matthew Progress has released his debut album, God Made Dirt (Pirates Blend Records). As Matthew’s first full-length project after nearly a decade of short-form releases and singles, God Made Dirt marks the culmination of an expressive artist who has long been a stalwart of Toronto’s underground hip-hop scene. Sonically striking, direct and lyrically earnest, God Made Dirt comfortably sits in a universe that is singularly Matthew’s. Geared with the objective of subverting minds through thought-provoking meditations on nihilism, the cosmos, authoritarianism and the relationship between the divine and the primal, God Made Dirt is the story of Matthew’s journey through these ominous and often gritty dimensions.
Produced entirely alongside Dan Only (River Tiber, a l l i e), God Made Dirt is the sum of a wide range of musical influences spanning abstract hip-hop, punk, electronica, trap, funk and psychedelic influences, completed with further symbolic nods to Ol’ Dirty Bastard, Kelis, Alice Coltrane and Sun Ra. The arrival of God Made Dirt comes on the heels of three previously released singles “Gen Pop,” “Doc Neville” and “Digital Underground” which were noted for their similarities to the work of the artists OutKast, Parliament-Funkadelic, Rick James and The Free Nationals.
Reflecting on how this new debut album captures the evolution of his artistry, Matthew Progress explains: “This body of work represents the culmination of all of my interests, ideas, artistic influences, trauma, and healing over the past few years.”
“Our world has never felt more dystopian, and these nine tracks are my attempt to document that feeling. Myself and Dan Only aligned to build an LP we are very proud of. I consider this my most significant creation to date.”
All of the preceding singles cumulatively received critical praise and support from press and radio outlets such as COLORS, GUAP, Exclaim, Complex Canada, Ones To Watch, Mary Anne Hobbs and Jamz Supernova who both played it on their respective BBC 6Music shows and a plethora of others. God Made Dirt marks Matthew Progress’ first project since his 2018 EP, Slumber Magic War, which was home to standout track “Sip Test” and earned critical plaudits from VICE/Noisey and Complex. Heavily influenced by Afro-surrealism, nihilism and pan-Africanist ideals, Progress’ musical endeavors began with his 2014 debut project, Night.Rhetoric. The single “Le Fog,” an avant garde track oscillating between deep house, grime and electro-funk would follow in 2017, premiering on The Fader.
