Indie-rock band Sir Sly recently collaborated with soul artist Gary Clark Jr. to release their new track “Citizen,” with a visualizer alongside of it. The duo released both the song and video on Inauguration Day.
Sir Sly and Clark Jr. created an incredibly dynamic track by intertwining their music styles. While the indie-rock aspect of Sir Sly is utilized as the base of the entire song, Clark Jr. heavily comes in towards the end to show off his rock-blues crossover skills. The blend of Clark Jr.’s guitar solo with Sir Sly’s sound gives the track an energetic and spirited atmosphere, which helps set the focus on the importance of the song.
“Citizen” is a track that was intentionally released on the day that Joe Biden was sworn into presidency. It focuses on what American has gone through and can move on from as well as shedding light to the injustices that have occurred during Donald Trump’s time in office. “Holy Spirit, can you hear us?/ I feel lifted, I feel fearless/ I don’t wanna be your perfect citizen/ Dive out the car, it’s headed in the wrong direction.” As the track progresses, the voice transitions directly speaking on Trump. “Little red hat, signal white pride/ What’re you thinking? What’re you thinking?/ White lie, sign of the times/ What’s the dream you’ve been dreaming?/ You will never make anything great again/ And you’re not my friend/ Can I get an amen?”
The video for “Citizen” is a compilation of clips of a fake human hand being put through incredibly uncomfortable and harmful situations. From sticking it into a pot of boiling water to hammering a nail into the palm to it eventually being caught on fire and much more. These clips can easily represent the pain and suffering that Trump caused during his four-year presidency.
Sir Sly and Clark Jr. weren’t the only musicians to comment on Donald Trump leaving office yesterday. Artists like Tommy Lee, Ice T, Maggie Rogers and more took to their social media pages to address the change in power.
Sir Sly recently released their new single “Little Deaths,” which was the second single to be featured on their forthcoming album. While the album title nor a specific date has been announced, it’s suspected to be released sometime this year.
Photo credit: Sharon Alagna
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