'The Work' is out now

The inciting idea for the ‘The Work,’ the follow up single from our forthcoming album Dreams! The Dead! Ghost! Future, was a 2017 story in the Washington Post called “The New Reality of Old Age in America” by Mary Jordan and Kevin Sullivan. The long-form story profiles several workampers, folks of retirement age in the US who shed their homes and belongings and purchase RVs to travel and find seasonal work. Thu’s personal connection to this story stemmed from watching his late father, a Vietnamese immigrant, run a landscaping business for 30 years, and seeing how the daily physical labor took a toll on his body, and the financial stress of being unable to afford a comfortable retirement. The relentless, driving rhythm of the song and chant-like, repetitive chorus were written to mirror the never-ending, insatiable machine of capitalism. We see this song as a modern-day labor anthem, a reflection on the financial and emotional struggles of the working class in late-stage capitalism.

The photograph for the single artwork is by Isabella Ståhl, a Swedish photographer that Rachel has admired for years. The stark, bright red and white trailer alone in the rural night highlighted by the glare of a flash captures the feeling of isolation in this song.

You can stream the single now by clicking the link below.