Jonah Matranga of Far, Onelinedrawing, etc. fame has released a protest/benefit track titled “Departure“. The song finds him teamed with ex-Minus The Bear vocalist/guitarist Jake Snider on guitar and Ian Prince (Porcupine, Houston) on drums. A 7″ for it is available here with all proceeds to ‘be donated to the most important contested races, supporting poll workers, and protecting the results’ regarding the upcoming U.S. presidential election.
Matranga said of the track:
“When I started ‘Departure‘, the first line was ‘we elected a terrorist’. I was in shock, and scared. I kinda still think I am. I think that’s an appropriate response to what we’ve been going through since 2016. I know full well that America was a nightmare before then, and there’s no question that the fear and hatred that led to Dump has been burning extra bright and brutal.
All that said, when the middle bit arrived, I felt some light. If we’re willing to look at the bullshit that got us here, maybe we can make it through. By the end of the song, I’m still pretty sure the America I grew up believing in is dying. I’m hoping that can be a good thing. I’m hoping we can build something better.”
The song “Hell Of A Year” appears as the b-side, Matranga said of it:
“It started in a conversation with my sweetheart. She was just talking about some of her cute childhood pictures, and the first line arrived. Like all my favorite ideas, this started personally, as a sweet little ditty with and for her. The chorus let me know there was more to explore, and then the second verse arrived.
I sent Dana [Gumbiner (Deathray)] some tracks to play with when ‘Hell of a Year‘ was still more a therapeutic thing than a song I was thinking might be on the album. When he sent his version back to me, it was a great reminder of how cool collaboration can be. I never would’ve done that with the song, and I’m so glad he did. Ski‘s [Guthrie] harmony hook is stuck in my head forever now, too.”
The songs precede the planned early 2021 release of a new album from Matranga titled “Psongs“. In addition to working with his ex-Gratitude bandmate Jeremy Tappero on that, members of Jimmy Eat World, Far, New End Original and more are expected to appear.
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