Grieves has carried a fervent fan base now over the course of four strong albums. Tepid tastemaker reviews aside, I don’t think there’s any doubt that his new LP, Winter & The Wolves, will be received with anything but rabid support by those who consistently ride for him. 206UP has always appreciated Grieves’ skill and purported love for the art of hip hop music, but often times his self-confessional style makes for laborious listening. Unfortunately, W&TW is probably the heaviest of all his albums, likely by design. Thank goodness Spring feels just around the corner, I suppose.

Rhymesayers artist and current Seattle resident Grieves dropped a new single (“Shreds”) and announced Winter & The Wolves — his new album, due March 25 — is now available for pre-order at various online outlets. “Shreds” is an electro-tinged boom-bap effort, produced by B. Lewis. Grieves makes allusions to those who might do him wrong. Does he mean heads of religious institutions? Record labels? The amorphous and always disdainful “hater”? Who can be certain?

(h/t Potholes In My Blog.)