Until The Ribbon Breaks has just released their new video, “Goodnight America.” As reported by Pitchfork, the band describes the track as “pro America, anti creeping nausea, pro choice, anti anything else.”
“Goodnight America” promptly begins with footage from a Donald Trump rally. “Politicians are all talk, and no action,” states the presidential candidate, “Nothing is going to get done. They will not bring us, believe me, the promise land.” This sets the tone for the rest of the video, and makes it clear that Until The Ribbon Breaks are not afraid to express their personal beliefs through art. Images of police violence, protests and commercial brands are accompanied by straightforward lyrics that leave little to the imagination. The chorus chants “Let’s fire up the electric chair/Three cheers for the billionaires/Coca-Cola and your favorite brands, goodnight, goodnight, goodnight.”
The video was directed by Until the Ribbon Breaks frontman Pete Lawrie-Winfield, who seems to agree that the video speaks for itself. In a statement, he discussed “Goodnight America” and the thought process behind the song.
It would have been nice to have seen through my daydream, to have drawn the blinds, battened down the hatches and pretended that the country that I now call home, a country that I love, wasn’t falling victim to some kind of cartoonish nightmare. This song is pro America, anti creeping nausea, pro choice, anti anything else. To dissect it too much, to feel the need to explain it seems unnecessary. We are all privy to the same information now, we are all awake.
“Goodnight America” is a new chapter for Until The Ribbon Breaks, who have always been outspoken and eclectic with their music. As stated by Pigeons and Planes, the British group “blends genres like electronic, pop, rock, and hip-hop, but it’s all done with sharp alternative edge. This edge is what gives every UTRB song a distinct sound.” Their debut full-length album, A Lesson Unlearnt, was released in January 2015, and the group has played festivals such as SXSW and Culture Collide. Until the Ribbon Breaks is set to play Bottlerock Napa Valley, alongside Stevie Wonder and Red Hot Chili Peppers, over Memorial Day Weekend.
Leave a Comment