SPILL FEATURE: THE ITEMS CARRIED IN JOHN GOURLEY’S SIX-FOOT TOBOGGAN – A CONVERSATION WITH PORTUGAL. THE MAN

THE ITEMS CARRIED IN JOHN GOURLEY’S SIX-FOOT TOBOGGAN

A CONVERSATION WITH PORTUGAL. THE MAN

Most musicians who find themselves in possession of a coveted Grammy Award are inclined to stay the course from there. They’ll write songs to similar themes, in tunes that feel distantly familiar. They’ll hone in on their genre, striving to be the name in that arena. Portugal. The Man’s John Gourley, however, takes an almost irreverent approach to his duty of creation. For him, an honour so big, bestowed upon the group in 2017, leaves him with the feeling that he’s not likely to win the music lottery again. But if he does, it’ll be playing a different game entirely. Covering all the techniques throughout each of his albums, from single strings to bluesy riffs to looping and sampling, and more, Gourley feels strongly that his music is “taking all these experiences, and it’s more fun to do something different.” He adds that no artist belongs to just one genre, with influences often sneaking in. If music is an ever-evolving beast, then his newest album, Shish, displays exactly that!

Shish comes not only as another new sound for the band, but as an entirely different production from their new imprint “Knik” at their new label home of Thirty Tigers. Additionally, this album is cut from a much smaller fabric, but one woven with history and connection, as Gourley steps away from the larger band, working almost exclusively with once tour-mate Kane Ritchotte. Gourley lightheartedly recalls meeting a teenage Ritchotte in the early days of Portugal. The Man, bringing the incredibly talented drummer on their tour as someone “always super impressive, but at the same time, he was a little brother.” Happy that Ritchotte had a chance to leave, grow, develop, and foster his own talents independently, the reunion for this album set an intimate stage for truly powerful, story-rich music forged in mutual growth and effortless collaboration.

SHISH ALBUM REVIEW

Shish looks at big themes from Gourley’s Alaskan upbringing, tying in much of the group’s activism around supporting Indigenous communities. Lessons from his childhood specifically glean bright over emotionally charged lyrics. The album asks its listeners to consider a minimal footprint, and to make a respectful entry wherever they sojourn. He paints a vivid picture of manners, humility, and Indigenous knowledge acquisition, as he reminds that you should always knock when arriving at someone’s home, and ask for permission to enter. Gourley goes on to reference a modern literary classic, Into the Wild, suggesting the death at the end comes from the foolish entitlement of eating the wrong berries. Arrogance, evidently, has no place in the bush, nor in Gourley’s personal or professional worlds. An almost romantic caste films over his speech as he continues on the lessons of the land. Gourley muses not quite in metaphor, but in something that very well could be, about his father’s six-foot toboggan, and what would be carried along in it “when he leaves.” Every toboggan, packed for impact, can only hold a few items, but must be able to sustain life in the wilds. And of course, no two toboggans require the same load. It’s incredibly easy for the audience to find poetic license in the words, though for Gourley, the script keeps truly literal. “A tarp is something you definitely take into the bush with you because it’s shelter, and also, it’s used to collect water… it’s a blanket, it’s insulation, it’s so many things. The album for me is about that. What are you going to put in your toboggan? What are the things that matter to you? It’s more about the listener and what’s important to them. It’s not about me.” With an air of mystery, he adds that he won’t share what he’s putting in his personal toboggan, before chuckling at the realization that the song “Angoon” announces exactly that.

Unsurprisingly, when asked about his favorite track on the new album, Gourley is most excited about “Knik,” which he describes as “the name of our label, the name of the area I grew up in, the name of the crew that I work with – we make clothing, we do embroidery, and work in partnership with the tribe back home. “Knik” is the song…. Kind of gothy. Kind of skinhead. Kind of punk…” Jumping into some other especially exciting sounds on Shish, Gourley praises “Pittman Ralliers” with its unexpected thrash metal lean; a complete departure from blended past sounds of psychedelia, pop, indie, and synth. Delving into the song deeper, Gourley opens up about the “hardcore” scene that influenced it, and with a glimmer of admiration and inspiration in his eye, waxes nostalgic about his days of touring with absolute legends in the space. “Hardcore bands tour harder than you, they work harder than you, they are stronger than you.” A brilliant frontier for Portugal. The Man to cross, this song pushes their own envelope, as they enter the sacred musical space of metal, and display a complete uninhibited freedom to their work.

For fans showing up for the familiar, Shish will still offer it, though maybe not in spades. The eclectic, if not positively frenetic mix of moods and modes is an unrelenting vision board picked clean from Gourley’s mind. Dropping officially on November 7th, 2025, teased out samples are presently available in four songs; “Denali,” “Tanana,” “Mush,” and “Angoon.” A completely immersive auditory tour, led in the styling of an all-access pass to an Alaskan mushing expedition, Shish is your cheap travel ticket to the Last Frontier.

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Main Photo Credit: Nathan Perkel | Background Photo Credit: Maclay Heriot