Label: Spinefarm
Release Date: January 6, 2023
Pittsburgh punks Anti-Flag may just have written the soundtrack to the greatest underdog story of all-time: The People vs… well, all of the insane nonsense we’re up against right now. Sure, that’s a relatively small silver lining in the scheme of things but, c’mon, they’re just one band. Lies They Tell Our Children is a mashup of grunge, punk-rock and heavy rock sensibilities that combine to make an insistent mix of bright guitar tones, thick bass lines and catchy choruses. There’s a long list of friends making appearances. Jesse Leach joins the band on Modern Meta Medicine – a critical look at the capitalist takeover of modern medicine. The relentless incendiary social commentary continues on Laugh. Cry. Smile. Die. – a commentary on the prevalence of misinformation. The Fight Of Our Lives is pure ’90s pop-punk nirvana, albeit with a rugged, meta-tinged undertow and cameos from Rise Against’s Tim McIlrath and Bad Religion‘s Brian Baker. The Europeans conquering, invading and stealing resources is a main focus of the song Imperialism. The band makes a very clear statement on their thoughts of the actions from the Europeans in Africa — that it was absolutely atrocious and maimed many societies.
Lies They Tell Our Children is a truly great and timely album from a band who continue to fearlessly, articulately and aggressively address the issues of the here and now. Put simply, Anti-Flag have never been more essential, on point or outright pissed off.
Listen to: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, & 10
FCC: 1, 2, 3, 5, & 10 (email me if you want clean versions)
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