Mickey O'Brien tackles relapse, addiction and the journey to recovery in latest LP

Don't call Mickey O'Brien's latest LP, Shift Change, a recovery record.

In his newest release, the Sudbury hip-hop artist openly explores his relapse into addiction, but O'Brien said the songs – which he describes as "raw" – are more about his spiritual journey on the road to being clean.

"I'm trying to take everybody through the mind of an addict while we relapse and just kind of make people understand the thought process that we go through," O'Brien said.

"From an outside perspective, people that don't understand it, think it's like, 'well, how could somebody do that to themselves?'"

O'Brien said the track Bill Wilson – presented to the listener as a dialogue between two people – tries to make sense of the journey.

"For me, when I pick up a drink or drug. It's the last thing in the world I want to do," he said. "But as soon as that hits my system, I have no control over myself again."

The distance from friends, family and other musicians during the pandemic likely contributed to his relapse, O'Brien said, following eight months of living "clean and sober."

"Being an addict, I was in a lot of isolation at the beginning of the game" he said. "And that's not good for us, for people like me."

"Then coming out of it again, I had to relearn all the things I'd gone through before," he said. "Coming out of that, I really made a promise to myself that it was for good this time."

That sense of change – and the optimism that comes along with a significant life decision – is the reason behind the LP's title.

"It's about coming out of the darkness and going into the light." 

So far, O'Brien said his message is hitting the intended audience.

"Now that it's out, I get a lot of awesome messages from people saying how much it's helped them," he said. "Because I really lay it all on the line. I'm pretty raw about everything."

"So if I'm carrying the message. And if I'm helping somebody, that's great."