Punk outfit Bad Religion has released a new track called “Emancipation of Mind” to celebrate the inauguration of Joe Biden, the 46th president of the United States. This song was an outtake from Bad Religion’s latest studio album Age of Unseen, which originally came out back in 2019.
Learning HOW to think (as opposed to learning what to think) is a true feeling of emancipation from the constraints of indoctrination that are so commonplace in our society. “Emancipation Of The Mind” is an outtake from ‘Age Of Unreason’ – https://t.co/WSShfRG6xG pic.twitter.com/Ef5h9TXG0S
— Bad Religion (@badreligion) January 20, 2021
“Emancipation of Mind,” is an alternative rock-styled song, with punk inspired guitar chords and drums, but a more relaxed, somewhat anthemic vocal delivery. These riffs are more catchy than aggressive and channels some accessible elements of pop/skate punk, which the group helped set the foundation for.
Bad Religion held a live stream series last month, where they celebrated their 40 year career. This series broke up their career into decades, with the first stream hosting their 1980s catalog, the following week their 1990s tracks and so on. The group also released a new song called “What Are We Standing For” last October.
Age of Unreason continues the band’s political messaging, which seeks out to uplift marginalized voices and promote the needs of humanity, while vilifying those in power and authoritarianism. Much of the record was inspired by the ongoing political climate, which is highlighted on tracks such as “Do The Paranoid Style.”
“Overall, Age Of Unreason is chock full of powerful messages of hope to the disenfranchised, telling them to don’t lose their cool in a fit of blind rage. Bad Religion may not have the diversity some want, but the message is on point and well received,” mxdwn reviewer Ben Chambers explained.
Photo Credit: Raymond Flotat