Originally Published on April 22nd, 2026

“We never learn,” and “history repeats itself.”

Two commonly used cliches, living on through the infamy of their own truths. Sometimes, the world is so cyclical it is sickening. The powerful controlling the masses to take from them, then the masses rebelling and balance being somewhat restored. That is, until a new power arises.

Over and over again. This pattern is as old as history itself, and yet, we are destined to repeat it once again. In fact, we are uncomfortably in the phase of the powerful controlling the masses. Everything I thought was impossible, all of the “that would never happen here,” things and moments are happening and have happened. Like watching a documentary about cults and criticizing the members who don’t “know they’re in a cult,” I once again find myself on the outside not understanding.

I don’t understand because I underestimate the control of the powerful. That’s ignorant of me. They control the money. They control the government. They control the media. From there, it’s far less difficult to understand.

It’s times like this where artists, musicians, and poets are revered. Those willing to punch holes right through the narratives being put in front of us, who are willing to call out the injustices and who point out the manipulation of the ones who would control us. Given the extraordinary circumstances of the state of the world today, we are lucky to have a Circumstantial Saint who is all three: an artist, a musician, and a poet.

Saint is what happens when a powerful uprising starts oppressing a community. A person, or people in that community stand and say “enough.” That is something that Saint has been doing for some time. Motivated by his passion for people, Circumstantial Saint is busier than ever.

A couple of months ago, I had the chance to talk with Saint to promote the release of his album Black History Volume IV. We took some time to discuss how crazy the world was getting. We had just witnessed the cold blooded murders of Renee Goode and Alex Pretti and the tension was palpable. Even since then, we have witnessed our nation’s military engaged in a war started by one man with his own personal agenda.

Most of us are watching this unfold in horror. Saint, being the Circumstantial Saint that he is, didn’t stop to watch. He took to the streets. He got organized. He took action. And yes, he recorded an album.

Wordvomit

Wordvomit, the latest album release from Circumstantial Saint, released April 20th. It is 15 songs that run at approximately 50 minutes. It was written, performed, recorded, mixed, and mastered by Jontel Toland, aka Circumstantial Saint. It is currently available only on Bandcamp.

“Wordvomit does not remain inward. It expands outward into direct confrontation with systemic violence, racialized fear, and state power.” – Circumstantial Saint

Wordvomit is more than a reactionary piece as the title would suggest. It is strategic and organized. It is well thought and poetic. It opens with the song, Sinner. What I love about this song is he acknowledges who he is and how he is perceived. Saint identifies himself as the very “evil” that conservatives accuse him of being but then reiterates he is a good man and more importantly, a human being.

In the title track, Saint speaks to the oppression that is being dealt to citizens in America and people around the world. He addresses misconceptions of how we are perceived, much like in Sinner. At the end of this song and others, there are segments where live recordings of organized protests and events are played. The voices of activists and supporters can be heard in solidarity to the moment. It is almost as beautiful as the music. Personally, I believe Saint would say it is more beautiful than the music.

The track I HATE RACISTS puts a name and a mark to enemies of our citizens. It is an expose on what happens when people are targeted over and over again. How hatred breeds hatred, and prompts a never ending cycle that gets harder and harder to break.

As I discussed with Saint in our recent interview, I don’t know how Saint produces so much at such an incredible quality. It attests to the idea that maybe this has never been something he was supposed to do but instead has always been something he was meant to do. Wordvomit is another sensational record from a sensational artist.

Go press play.