41 | 2016 | HEAVY METAL ALBUM OF THE YEAR | KEN mode | | The JUNO Awards

Hometown: Winnipeg, Manitoba

Success is a funny concept; in its rawest, most pure form, it is entirely relative, and this was the subject KEN mode chose to approach with their new album, aptly titled Success. Sonically and lyrically, a shift has been made from the classic spitting of metallic, hardcore-tinged vitriol, that the band has become known for, to a rawer, more mature, even humorous indie rock aesthetic. In April 2014, the band set out to pay tribute to where they’ve come from – a salute to both their Canadian Prairie roots, and a time when they first started to care about making music; the burgeoning ‘grunge’ and Touch & Go/Dischord scenes of the late 80s/early 90s, with bands like Nirvana, Big Black, Cop Shoot Cop, the Cows, Circus Lupus, and Drive Like Jehu warping their teenage minds. Lyrically, the band’s fascination with comedy spirals around classical western concepts of “success” – from employment, sex, marriage, religion, socio-economic standing, and particularly the many perceptions people have of how they, and those around them, happen to fit into the world.

Armed with this mantra, the band enlisted the services of legendary engineer Steve Albini (Nivana, the Pixies, the Jesus Lizard, etc.) to capture the material in a fully analog session in the band’s home of Winnipeg, MB, Canada, in November 2014, bringing to fruition the most raw, rock and roll effort the band has ever put forth.