2 days ago
6
Tom Morello is standing up for American immigrants with his new anti-ICE protest song “Pretend You Remember Me.”
With a haunted vocal melody, the track succulently traces political talking points to the actual impact on people and families. According to a press release, the accompanying Morello-directed video features the faces of those impacted by ICE raids in Los Angeles, before showing a series of White House press secretaries taking the podium juxtaposed against footage from the recent LA anti-ICE protests.
The clip also features Leonard Peltier, Native American activist and political prisoner whose life sentence was commuted by President Biden the day before he left office. Now under home confinement, Peltier opens the video with a direct message: “No human being is illegal.”
In a press statement, Morello said, “This song is written for all the families torn apart by the recent immigrant purges and kidnappings. Children torn from their wailing mothers’ arms by masked government thugs, people coming home to find their loved ones abducted by the state. Folks who worked, suffered, and struggled for decades just to make a decent life for themselves and their family were violently separated with an uncertain future. ‘Pretend You Remember Me’ is for them and for all those who are finding the courage to stand up against racism, tyranny, and injustice.”
Produced by Zakk Cervini, “Pretend You Remember Me” comes in partnership with the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles (CHIRLA), a nonprofit organization that works to get legal defense teams for members of the Los Angeles immigrant community and fights against workplace discrimination.
It’s also another taste of Morello’s upcoming “first ever full-length solo rock album,” which he expects out next year via Mom+Pop. Last year, he shared “Soldier in the Army of Love,” the effort’s lead single featuring his teenaged son, Roman.
After taking part in the massive “Back to the Beginning” farewell concert for Black Sabbath and Ozzy Osbourne last weekend, Morello is heading on a Canadian tour that will last through fall. Get tickets here.
English (US) · 