Premiere: Rue Snider trudges scorched earth with new song, ‘Make Me Feel’

We are in the thick of resistance. The belly of the beast is ravenous, and its deafening growls drown out the truth and further plummet society back into the dark ages. Last fall, that was quite clear. Brett Kavanaugh’s brazenly misogynistic victim playing was an act of grotesque theatrics, his straight white male privilege permitting him to gush crocodile tears and his face boiling rage-red. Meanwhile, Christine Blasey Ford displayed remarkable bravery in such hostile territory, and her presence embodied the current sociopolitical climate. Emotions popping like blisters, New York’s indie-rock beacon Rue Snider grips his pen around sucker-punching lyrics to highlight the very nature of our reality and let the steam rise off his skin.

“I’ll tell you a tale about rich, white men / Drunk with power, hostility, hubris and hatred,” his words stick on the brain, slashing and wreaking havoc. “Anger-prone criticize as bold women testify / Grind their teeth, roll their eyes / Seething straw men / They say they believe in a God that judges the living and the dead….,” sings Snider, situating the oft-talked about Kavanaugh Hearing as the base point of conversation around religion’s blind eyes. As he deconstructs the patriarchy’s stranglehold, his voice remains plainspoken, merely the conduit of truth to punctuate and then put an end to fake news. “As they are sent to hell, well, they make me feel,” he gasps on the hook.

Starbursts of confetti and synths soon penetrate the stratosphere, the drums bouncing along behind. Snider quickly erupts with contagious joy for the new members of the 116th Congress, featuring Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Omar, Rashida Tlaib, and Ayanna Pressley. He’s guarded yet sets his sights on what the rebellion could possible bring . “The powerful play as we slip through the gate / The levies of truth ’bout to break,” he sings, a hopeful reminder that today’s misery can’t last much longer. Change is certainly coming.

On the song, Snider writes to B-Sides & Badlands over email, “The words reflect a tension that’s been growing for years as the dystopian grip of the current administration and its GOP allies exploit fear and foment racism, homophobia, transphobia, and misogyny,” he says. “The chorus imagines a comeuppance for politicians and their financial supporters who have enabled hate.”

“Make Me Feel” is just the latest of Snider’s stunning offerings. His songwriting has emerged as the most visceral and necessary for today’s pop music.

Listen below:

https://soundcloud.com/musicbyrue/make-me-feel-rue-snider/s-cG2i7

Photo Credit: Lara Randolph

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