Hear R.E.M., Sleater-Kinney Supergroup’s Anti-Donald Trump Song, ‘Despierta’
R.E.M. and Sleater-Kinney supergroup Filthy Friends rail against Donald Trump on debut song “Despierta.” “Your time is over/ Your power’s peaked,” Corin Tucker wails on the blistering, guitar-heavy tune, featured in Dave Egger’s anti-Trump project “30 Days, 30 Songs.” “Holding onto the past won’t make it repeat,” she continues. “It’s time to get up/ I think you’re in my seat.”
Filthy Friends unites Tucker (Sleater-Kinney), Peter Buck (R.E.M.), Scott McCaughey (the Minus 5), Kurt Bloch (the Minus 5) and drummer Bill Rieflin (King Crimson). “Despierta” will appear on the band’s upcoming debut LP. According to a post on the REM HQ website, Buck says the album “will be out on a cool record label later next year.”
“30 Days, 30 Songs” previously featured contributions from Death Cab for Cutie (“Million Dollar Loan”), Jim James (“Same Old Lie,”) Franz Ferdinand (“Demagogue”) and R.E.M. (a live version of “World Leader Pretend”), among others. The campaign features one song per day from October 10th to Election Day, released in the spirit of uniting against Trump.
“As artists, we are united in our desire to speak out against the ignorant, divisive, and hateful campaign of Donald Trump,” the site reads. “We will not be duped by Mr. Trump’s rhetorical contortions, by his pandering and lies and false promises. He has shown the content of his character time and time again, and the very fact of his candidacy is a blight on the nation.”
In January, Filthy Friends originally united for a trio of live David Bowie covers, including “The Jean Genie” and “Rebel Rebel,” at the Buck-assembled Todos Santos Music Festival in Mexico.