by Jason

Art as a tool of resistance is something I’m highly interested in and find important for the larger cultural environment, especially in our current position in the U.S. Azalia Snail brings her brand of noise pop into this conversation, and I find her new record to have a voice in these turbulent times. The larger album is called Neon Resistance and its essence is clearly an anti-Trump affair. “Weekend Back” has a new video that has the artist circling a monolithic structure in Collins Park in Miami (the piece is a permanent installation by artist Ugo Rondinone). The video also displays the lyrical content which I find central to the overall mood of the piece. Her vocals are enhanced with some reverb, a slight fuzzy edge, and some delay giving the piece an edge that compliments the thrumming drum beat which has as it’s accompaniment horns, perhaps recalling apocalyptic imagery. She sings lines like “The daily dose of gloom/The nightly ooze of gloom” and “The art of the fail/the arc of the frail.” The neon colors in the video contrast with the larger message, representing the resistance as a louder, more powerful voice over against the vapid and flaccid moves of those in power who will be remembered as cowards in history. Give the video a watch and throw Azalia Snail you support!