Premiere: Wrong Worshippers Harangue Elected Bigots On"Not Your Pawns"

Premiere: Wrong Worshippers Harangue Elected Bigots On”Not Your Pawns”

Published April 19, 2023

Protest music has always been a part of Richmond’s sound, from punks in the ’80s calling out capitalist oppression to rappers confronting the racist imagery on display in the city just a few years ago. Today, the political landscape seems to deteriorate more and more each day as conservative demagogues in elected offices ignore the real problems facing society so they can hyperfixate on dehumanizing people and beliefs they deem “different.” As restrictive laws are passed and more hateful rhetoric is spewed, musicians are using their art to express their dissent, amplify marginalized voices, and demand immediate change.

One such band is Wrong Worshippers, a duo made up of drummer Milo McAdams and bassist Nick Walker, who are expressing their musical rage over oppressive transgender policies through a new song entitled “Not Your Pawns.” Ferocious and focused, it’s a protest song for the ages that doesn’t hold back any of its lyrical vitriol or musical animosity when addressing “policies” that do nothing but vilify and violate people who are just trying to exist in this world. Out everywhere on Friday, April 21st, it’s a single The Auricular is proud to premiere today with an exclusive stream as well as a Q&A from the determined punk rockers.

Specifically, “Not Your Pawns” is addressing Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin, who seems to be more preoccupied with regulating bathroom access in public schools than addressing gun safety legislation, mental health access, and essential funding, things that could actually improve our education system in the state. “Blood from your hands is staining the hallway / Your bathroom doors tell them they’re not meant to live,” the song opens up, a stark reminder that Youngkin cares more about a plastic sign on a bathroom door than people’s right to live safe and free in this world. It comes as no surprise as Youngkin himself was elected due to his focus on hollow issues like CRT and wokeism, absurd cultural outrage that exists only to divide and distract people from progressive policies that could improve society overnight. Lacking empirical and scientific support, these policies have no basis in reality, but their effects will certainly change the reality for countless people, leading to more bigotry and violence towards anyone perceived as different. (“You eliminate students because you’re afraid / And slit their throats so you can feel brave“)

Musically, the song rises to the incensed occasion, pushing the limits of what you would expect from a simple combination of drums and bass. Opening with a pulsating bass line that plays around with melodic tension and release, the song quickly moves into an all-out musical brawl as drums and bass throw their share of punches along with the lyrical barbs. There are layers to the barrage as well, pointing to the musical growth Wrong Worshippers have made since their debut single “You Deserve Hate” back in 2021. There, the duo relied on the fundamental relationship between bass and drums to explore their punk sound. On this newest entry into their fearless discography, the band has ventured outside of that framework, with sound manipulation and backing vocals that are enhanced by sharp recording courtesy of Phillip Humphreys. These new tools and tricks help enhance the song’s urgent call to action, galvanizing the audience on a visceral and cerebral level with each listen.

We spoke with Wrong Worshippers over e-mail about their new hardcore marvel recently. While there is a lot to unpack lyrically, we instead focused on the creation, recording, and release of the song in order to let the lyrics speak for themselves. We’ve included a copy of those lyrics at the end of this article, which you should definitely read after learning more about the song’s genesis.

How far back does this song go?

Nick Walker: The bass part for this song had been written for a while, although we didn’t know what we were gonna do with it. But when Glenn Youngkin started trying to oppress trans kids, we wanted to write a song about it and we felt like this one fit the vibe. This track attempts to bring attention to the systematic eradication of trans people.

What about this song made you want to release it as a standalone single instead of part of a grander release?

Nick Walker: We actually weren’t planning on doing a standalone song, but Glenn had us really pissed off and we just needed to process that rage somehow. We didn’t want to wait to release the song on a future album; we really wanted to get the message out as soon as possible. Fascism doesn’t wait for an album release cycle.

How did this song differ from previous songs, either in the writing or recording stage?

Milo McAdams: Since we went into this project knowing we were only doing the one song, we were able to channel an EPs worth of effort into just one track. This resulted in our cleanest, tightest, and most aggressive work yet. We recorded multiple demos before going into the studio, which gave [us] ample time to workshop and experiment with new sounds. Also having the defined purpose of making a political response to Glenn Youngkin’s “model” policies gave us the opportunity to put every ounce of energy/ anger we had into this song.

There’s a lot going on besides the bass and drum in this song. How do you approach that knowing that in a live setting it’s going to end up being just the two of you?

Milo McAdams: Over the summer before my senior year, I started a solo project that included me hooking up guitar pedals to my drum kit. I was able to conjure up some wacky sounds that I felt were too good to not bring to the band. For example, I would run the kick drum through a delay pedal that would create a feedback loop. By controlling the rate on the pedal and hitting the drums at specific times, I was able to manipulate the sound in ways that a stringed instrument couldn’t. For the recording, I emulated the drum sounds through a synthesizer, but for live shows, I use the original pedal to create the crazy breakdown section.

The bass line at the beginning is definitely going to remind people of “Waiting Room” by Fugazi. Was that intentional, especially since its twisted around after only a few seconds?

Nick Walker: Funnily enough, that wasn’t intentional. I wrote the heavier version of the riff first, and the quieter intro part came later in the songwriting process. I definitely have inspirations I know about like RATM and Slipknot, but it’s always cool to find out what my subconscious influences are.

Is there more new music planned for Wrong Worshippers in the coming months?

Milo McAdams: After this single, we are going to get in the studio to start recording our sophomore album. We plan to have it fully recorded by the end of the summer before we go off to college. Once we are in college, we’ll break it up into singles and eventually drop the whole thing!

“Not Your Pawns” is out everywhere on Friday, April 21st and you can pre-save it now at this link. To keep up-to-date on future shows and releases, make sure to follow Wrong Worshippers on Instagram or subscribe to their Linktree.

“Not Your Pawns” Lyrics

Blood from your hands is staining the hallway
Your bathroom doors tell them they’re not meant to live
Your heritage told them to keep building cages
So that is exactly what you went and did

Ballots don’t mean shit so I’ll take the bullets
Ballots don’t mean shit so I’ll take the bullets
Ballots don’t mean shit so I’ll take the bullets
Ballots don’t mean shit so I’ll take the bullets

You eliminate students because you’re afraid
And slit their throats so you can feel brave
You want public comments so here’s what ours is
Your own medicine tastes the most destructive

Let dead names stay dead
Let dead names stay dead
Let dead names stay dead
Let dead names stay dead
Let dead names stay dead
Let dead names stay dead

Ballots don’t mean shit so I’ll take the bullets
Ballots don’t mean shit so I’ll take the bullets
Ballots don’t mean shit so I’ll take the bullets
Ballots don’t mean shit, I’ll take the bullets

I’ll take the bullets

FUUUUUUUCKKKKKKK