So, in 2021, after a long absence from music, I made a record called “The Day Deserved.” The songs were written during the first chapter of the orange reign and a lot of the impetus for making the album was to get out there with social justice tunes addressing some of the key issues of the day – climate change, race, immigration, community cohesion. That said, I wouldn’t call it a protest album, because the songs are character-driven and band-driven and hopefully that invites people in.
Recently, someone said to me, “you should do some political songs.” Well, yes, I just did, but then again, I always do on some level, because the personal is political, so if you are writing about an individual or emotion that is connected to an injustice, it is political, and I wonder sometimes if part of our problem today is people fear “being political” in general. If shining a light on ways to make things better is political, then that’s not only an option, it’s essential.
Just finished mastering a new album, but in the meantime, I thought it might be good to recycle some of those tunes from “The Day Deserved,” as well, here on social media. This one is called “Unseen Undetected.” Another friend told me this could be an anthem these days, which is high praise and appreciated. Regardless, it is relevant, particularly in the context of the ICE raids.
Doug Hoekstra 