Premiere: Locations tear down the rich with their ‘Trickle’ video

Indie-rock duo Locations‘ “Trickle” is a call to action, a rallying cry about “corporate greed, capitalism, class solidarity, and taxing the rich,” the band shares in a statement. With thrashing, coarse guitar work that punctures the eardrums like a needle through fabric, the lead-in to their sophomore EP stands as a resonant timepiece of the present moment. “Under a greed attack, they still want more and more,” sings Niko Rummell. “We have to take it back, or what’s our power for?” Such a jagged question anchors the song, which cuts into the bone and leaves traces of marrow behind. In many ways, it’s life and death for many in this country — and this song is their anthem.

“Over the last several decades, there has been a massive transfer of wealth from the working class to the richest of the rich,” the band says. “We’re not talking about doctors and lawyers-rich; we believe working people deserve to make a fair living. We’re talking about the parasitic ultra-wealthy, who are hoarding more wealth than they could ever possibly spend.”

In the accompanying visual, which drummer Thomas Whidden directed, produced, and edited, the duo distills “capitalism to its bare essentials and showcases the system of control in a familiar but surreal way,” says Whidden. “For capitalism to work, one group must be exploited to enable the financial gain of another. When you consider the system in the simplest form, it is plainly immoral.”

A king perches upon his throne while his so-called peasants bring him fruits of their sweat-soaked labor. It’s a simple storyline, yet a powerful one that captures the exploitation of the working class through time. We’re no different than the rulers of yore; it’s just more explicit in their actions than ever before. “There is no value in any business without the working class,” Whidden continues. “There is no value in the ruling class continuing to monopolize the means of production for their own unearned gain. Their greed is what prevents our society from achieving healthcare as a human right, a safe and sustainable environment, and a system of government free from corruption.”

The lyric that hits the hardest arrives in the last stanza: “Take the most dangerous weapon away / Ten million dollars annually,” the duo yowls into the stratosphere. Their voices echo across a wall-to-wall of epic sound, and there’s no way you can escape it. And that’s just their way. Locations makes you confront your own biases and preconceived notions in a way that changes you from the inside out. By song’s end, you come out having learned something.

“Trickle” samples a forthcoming EP titled Stop the Money (pre-save), expected October 18.

Watch the “Trickle” video below.

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