The Battle for Our Souls: The Bapti$$ Confronts Legacy and Liberation on “My Father’s Sins”

Following the soul-stirring release of “Crazyglue and Skeletons,” The Bapti$$, the boundary-pushing musical rebirth of multi-instrumentalist Joseph LaPlante, returns with “My Father’s Sins,” a raw, introspective new single taken from his just-announced debut album, Pop Cult(ure), out September 26th.

Anchored in aching guitar and a deep 808 heartbeat, “My Father’s Sins” is a confessional offering that digs deep into the scars of lineage, masculine silence, and the fight for spiritual freedom.

“I wholeheartedly believe in Generational Curses and contracts made with the Spirit World,” LaPlante reveals. “I took it on myself to break my family tree free of those shackles that have caused so much pain in my blood line.”

My Father’s Sins

They got so much allure

I’m on my knees begging

Praying for a cure

I’ll break every curse in our tree

If I could see you set you free

These lyrics are a cry for deliverance, a solemn vow to be the one who ends the cycle.

“There ain’t a ton of artists focusing on the battle for our souls,” says LaPlante. “Along with that factor, the blend of Singer/Songwriter mixed with a touch of Hip Hop sets [this song] apart.”

The track’s sonic palette is stripped-back and piercing, emphasizing clarity over clutter. “Again just the guitar and 808 bass drums. The simplicity and story is the selling point on these songs we came up with,” LaPlante explains.

The song’s emotional centre lies in its chorus, a brutally honest reflection on fatherhood, loss, and emotional repression.

“My dad taught me to suffer in silence, so I always wonder if when he is alone he actually does break down, shed a tear, and feel the pain that life has brought with all the loss and struggles,” says LaPlante. “I know for myself I am the rock for my wife and kids so my feelings, emotions, and thoughts are always last to the well-being and happiness of my family.”

Haunting, thoughtful, and restless, “My Father’s Sins” is another stirring entry in The Bapti$$’s growing catalogue of deeply spiritual, emotionally rich music. Each release is guided by a fierce sense of purpose and a refusal to ignore the deeper forces at play.

“Just like in everyday life, it’s spiritual warfare,” he says. “Many people think life is a fun game and we are here for amusement. But when we get upstairs and get to meet our Maker I want my loved ones, my circle of allies, and anyone willing to listen to get inspired to try and do better so they are ready for that meeting.”

The Bapti$$ is the new project from multi-instrumentalist and artist Joseph LaPlante. It’s a musical cleansing and rebirth, a blank slate for a veteran musician and songwriter—a mid-career baptism of sorts, hence the name. As The Bapti$$, LaPlante, who is from Saskatchewan but is now based in Haida Gwaii, has created a world of warm, lush, 808-driven acoustic indie-pop and cozy, stripped-back singer-songwriter R&B. There are romantic, late-night love ballads, booming hip-hop vocals and verses, rootsy folk sing-alongs, gritty country-noir slow-burns, and spacy, electronic astro-pop.

More than just a record, Pop Cult(ure) is shaping up to be an exorcism of sorts: a confrontation with the seductions of modern distraction, the heaviness of ancestral weight, and the quiet desperation that simmers beneath the surface of everyday life. “My Father’s Sins” is its cornerstone—a stripped-down declaration that blends spiritual warfare with soulful vulnerability.

Before creating The Bapti$$, LaPlante gained widespread acclaim and recognition in hip-hop as Joey Stylez, with features in Yellowstone, Mayor of Kingstown, Reservation Dogs, and the film Wind River. LaPlante wants to use The Bapti$$’s work to help youth stay on the right track and away from those sorts of traumatic outcomes, while also staying deeply connected to the people stuck on the margins who need strength the most. The Bapti$$ brings calming waters in a chaotic world.