On their new single “Safe,” Paint It Black put forth an urgent and crucial track about the long-standing issues of policing versus the well-being of every person living in the United States.
As the band expands:
“What does it mean to feel entitled to safety in a world full of violence? If we prioritize our safety at the expense of the safety of others, how safe are any of us really? Plain and simple this is about problems with policing in the U.S. I started thinking critically about the role of law enforcement when I was a kid and I first heard The Jam’s, “In The City.” Abuses of police power, and the general lack of accountability around such abuses, amounts to state- sanctioned violence, and black people bear the brunt of it. This doesn’t feel safe to me.”
The song serves as the third single from Paint It Black’s upcoming Famine, set for release November 3rd on Revelation Records. The band will celebrate the record release with two shows at the First Unitarian Church in Philadelphia, PA on November 4th and 5th. Support for the sold-out 11/4 show comes from with support from Pegboy, Radiator Hospital, and The HIRS Collective and 11/5 is The Messthetics, Spaced, Raskol, tickets on sale here. The band is also set to perform at this year’s edition of The Fest in Gainesville, FL on October 28th.
Across three full-length albums and three seven-inch EPs, the four-piece of vocalist Dan Yemin, bassist Andy Nelson, guitarist Josh Agran, and drummer Jared Shavelson have been crafting concise, incisive statements that meld hardcore’s fury with a nuanced lyrical perspective. On Famine, Paint It Black shows all sides of itself, returning as inspired—and inspiring—since their latest release, 2013’s Invisible EP. The eight songs on the record are vibrant, vital, and full of unrest, packed with a decade’s worth of frustration. Lyrical themes navigate the narrative between myth and the truth, rebuking against religious fundamentalism, constitutional originalism, and the very concept of policing. Entering the studio with Jack Shirley at The Atomic Garden in Oakland, CA (Deafheaven, Gouge Away), the band recorded live to tape, providing the ability to just play as they saw fit. With Famine, Paint It Black proves that the most potent hardcore punk releases are ones that come from a space of vulnerability, honesty, and authenticity.