photo by Kelly Loverud

Every Monday through Friday, we deliver a different song as part our Song of the Day podcast subscription. This podcast features exclusive KEXP in-studio performances, unreleased songs, and recordings from independent artists that our DJs think you should hear. Today’s song, featured on The Afternoon Show with Kevin Cole, is “Gray Duck” by Doomtree from the 2015 album All Hands on Doomtree Records.

Doomtree - Gray Duck (MP3)

Embodying the diverse history of Minneapolis' independent hip-hop scene, the members of Doomtree are one of the genre's most focused and exciting groups. Consisting of rappers Dessa, Cecil Otter, P.O.S., Sims, Mike Mictlan, and producers Paper Tiger and Lazerbeak, the members all have extensive history working both in and outside of hip-hop in the Minneapolis music scene. Across their three official album and numerous other projects featuring collaborative work between the various members, the septet have established a style with a breadth unlike any other working collective, effortlessly weaving braggadocio, social consciousness, introspection, pop culture, and left field eclecticism into a seamless, often relentless hydra of an aesthetic. To say "Gray Duck" – a reference to the Minnesotan variant of Duck Duck Goose – finds the group at their most ferocious is somewhat of an understatement – featuring verses from Mike Mictlan, P.O.S., Dessa, and Sims over a furious, stuttering beat, the track is nothing short of caustic, wobbling on the verge of cataclysm. Opting to use this scorched earth intensity as the song's magnetic core instead of a hook is a smart move; when they get to the final rally of "Go get it/or go without/we go for broke/and run that shit into the ground", they couldn't have nailed that death or glory ethos any more precisely. But as volatile as it all sounds, they hold it together, ending up victoriously intact and already warmed up for the next crusade.

Doomtree is currently on tour behind their latest album All Hands and are playing in Seattle tonight at Neumos. Additionally, they'll be live on KEXP (with streaming video) today, Monday, March 9 at 2PM. Get tickets and more info on that all ages show here, keep up with the band at their website and Facebook, and watch the band perform "Beacon" during their last visit to KEXP in 2012.