For S.C.U.D., the daily grind is more than a backdrop to ambition. It is the central conflict. On Attical Sounds Vol. 2: Chronicles of a Nine to Five, the Thompson, Manitoba-based Afro-fusion artist turns the realities of holding down a job while pursuing music into a five-track study of survival, faith, money and the people who make the struggle worthwhile. Released October 23, the EP builds on the foundation of Late Bloomer, extending his self-described Attical Sounds into a more focused portrait of life between obligation and aspiration.
The project’s centre of gravity is “Balance,” produced by Kaypiano. Its plea to “make everything balance” captures the exhausting arithmetic behind the working life: providing for parents and children, keeping a nine-to-five afloat, and trusting that the sacrifices will eventually mean something. S.C.U.D. grounds that familiar pressure in an Afrobeats framework, with Pidgin, Yoruba and R&B melody helping the song feel personal rather than like another motivational soundtrack. The repetition reinforces the anxiety beneath the prayer. Stability is the goal, but it is never guaranteed.
“Steady” approaches the same struggle from a more triumphant angle, turning incremental progress into a celebration of hard-earned arrival. “Karma” shifts toward spiritual reassurance, addressing betrayal and envy with patience rather than retaliation. Both tracks reinforce S.C.U.D.’s determination, though their emphasis on perseverance and divine protection occasionally leans toward familiar hustle-anthem territory. The EP is most compelling when it gives those themes concrete stakes instead of simply reaffirming them.
“Onome,” featuring Nigeria-based Mitche, brings welcome warmth to the sequence. Its tribute to a woman who earns her own money and works late expands the project’s definition of ambition beyond the artist himself. The message is straightforward: people who work hard deserve pleasure, too. That sentiment carries naturally into “Challenge,” featuring Saskatchewan-based Rooky Kamiz. With its choral backing, energetic delivery and blend of Western and African musical elements, the closer pushes beyond a conventional Afrobeats arrangement toward something more expansive and communal.
That Prairie-to-Prairie collaboration also reflects S.C.U.D.’s wider artistic geography, connecting northern Manitoba with Saskatchewan and Nigeria without losing sight of his own circumstances.
Following the growing attention around Late Bloomer, S.C.U.D. uses this release to demonstrate that his story has more chapters to tell. Chronicles of a Nine to Five may occasionally settle for familiar affirmations, but its strongest moments recognise that the hustle is not just about becoming somebody. It is about staying afloat long enough to become the artist you set out to be.
Featured Image: Artist Supplied
