The highly anticipated EP, “Shithead Americana,” has been unleashed by Down With Rent, a hardcore punk band from Connecticut. This four-track EP serves as a powerful social commentary on the political and sociological challenges faced by the United States.
With an arsenal of distorted guitars, riff-driven breakdowns, thunderous drum grooves, and impassioned vocal performances, Down With Rent employs an uncompromising and enraged approach to their songwriting. They favor concise and impactful tracks that don’t waste time. A prime example is the opening track, “2008 Again,” which takes a critical stance against the increasing commercialization of nostalgia that serves as a diversion from the multitude of problems plaguing the working class. The EP also addresses issues like the escalating cost of living crisis perpetuated by the “debt trap” system, as well as the multitude of problems stemming from the rise of a far-right, misogynistic segment of the population.
Down With Rent elaborates on the EP, stating, “Thematically, we have never been angrier. These songs are a direct response to the surging wave of white, Christian nationalism that aims to oppress and eradicate transgender and queer communities, uphold white supremacist power structures, perpetuate US global dominance, and sustain the American military-industrial complex through unending warfare. Essentially, there is a regressive, bigoted, hateful, and terrified cultural wave sweeping across middle-class America, which has gained even more power over the past decade.”
