The ever-prolific NYC ska/reggae legends The

Slackers are back with their latest UV printed 12'

single on Pirates Press Records, featuring two new

songs, 'What We Gonna Do Now?' and 'Pick and

Choose.'

The Slackers have a long history of speaking their

minds with socio-politically conscious lyrics, dating

back to their earliest recordings. Their musical

influences have all served as the soundtrack to rebel

movements across numerous decades and on

multiple continents, and the band has never shied

away from taking up just causes. 'As musicians, we are

storytellers and collectors of memories. We need to

tell stories about freedom, liberation, and justice,'

explains saxophonist Dave Hillyard. 'This is a long

tradition... artists like Woody Guthrie, Bob Marley,

Bob Dylan, and Joe Strummer.'

'There are a lot of people who have become vocally

anti-democracy and pro-authoritarian over the last 10

years' states Hillyard about 'What We Gonna Do

Now?' From MAGA to anti-vaxxers to January 6

insurrectionists, the song asks these individuals if they

had 'a psychotic break,' and whether or not they are

ready to rejoin the human race. At the same time, the

song addresses the rest of us, wondering where we go

from here to reckon with these deep divisions:

healing, fighting... or a bit of both?

As for 'Pick and Choose,' it is a song whose message

is applicable to both the personal and the political. It is

about the power of words, and how sometimes they

can fall short of their intent: words like 'love' spoken

to a partner, or words like 'freedom' & 'justice' in the

political sphere. 'We have a lot of unfinished work to

do in our society,' says Hillyard. 'Hopefully we can

find the right words to unite and the right deed

an

find the right words to unite and the right deeds to

follow up on the promises in the words.'

Both songs are featured on a 12' single with UV

printed artwork designed by the band's longtime

in-house artist, Catt Gould, who looked to photos of

people voting - especially those of Civil Rights-era

ballot boxes - for inspiration. The record is designed so

that as it spins, you will see the motion of hands

putting ballots into the box. The record also includes a

sticker with a QR code that links to a number of voter

resources.

With the single going up for pre-order on July 12th via

the Pirates Press Records webstore, and releasing

everywhere on September 6th, the timing to coincide

with the 2024 US presidential election is certainly no

accident. Just as the band used the immediacy of the

single format to encourage voting by mail in the 2020

election with the single 'Blue,' so too does this new

release encourage active voting.

'Democracy backed by universal citizenship as a form

of government is at stake. We are at a point where we

can either vote to continue it and try to work on

society's problems, or we could vote to give up our

power to a demagogue,' says Hillyard, while insisting

that despite the struggles ahead, all is not lost.

TRACK LIST:

SIDE A

What We Gonna Do Now?

Pick and Choose