Aptera Post New Single “When the Police Murder”; You Can’t Bury What Still Burns out June 17
We are now less than a month out from the June 17 release date of Aptera‘s debut album, You Can’t Bury What Still Burns (review here), and the new single from the record is “When the Police Murder.” Fair enough and timely. Certainly there’s no shortage of audio-visual evidence to back up the Berlin-and-then-some-based four-piece’s central thesis, between body cameras, bystander cellphones, closed circuit footage, etc., and we’ve all seen those clips, usually of some Black or Brown person scuffling, running away, and being cut down, shot in the back. They go viral, like fucking cat videos.
In the wake of the racist, terrorist Buffalo, New York, shooting this weekend, the president of my country yesterday referred to white supremacy as a “poison.” He’s not wrong in terms of general destructive force, but as is his wont, he’s also playing it safe. The truth of white supremacy in America is that it’s more than a poison — something introduced from outside to do harm — it is the very marrow in the bones of the US as a nation, embedded since the land I’m sitting on right now, which I ostensibly own, was stolen from the original inhabitants. The fucking White House, first, is called the “White House,” and second, was built by slaves. Jesus Christ, knock it down already and build something else. I don’t care if it looks exactly the same, just make the god damn gesture. Systemic change will take centuries, but every bit counts.
Credit to Aptera for calling out injustice, and since the lineup of the band is multinational, it’s crucial to remember this isn’t just about the US, even if proliferation of guns here aids in making America such a stark example. But if you’re looking to finish the sentence “When the Police Murder,” the rest might be, “they usually get away with it.” Or “maybe they lose their pension.” And even if the video isn’t brazenly political, the song is and is given due urgency in its crunch despite a slower tempo than some of the more heavy thrash-informed material on You Can’t Bury What Still Burns. I suppose you could listen to the track and not think about this stuff, if you’re really committed, but even if you don’t engage with the subject matter directly in the way the band seems to want you to do, perhaps then at least step back and ask yourself why not.
Here’s the track, followed by more from the PR wire:
Aptera, “When the Police Murder” visualizer
Sara Neidorf on “When the Police Murder”:
“We’re so bombarded with images and video of police brutality that we don’t particularly want to reproduce or sensationalize it in a video montage. So we hope that we can catch people’s attention with the song, its lyrics, the urgency and ongoing relevancy of its message.”
Get the single here: https://smarturl.it/apteramurder
With members hailing from Brazil, Italy, Belgium and the US, APTERA joined forces in Berlin in 2018 to deliver their merciless and fist-raising blend of classic heavy, thrash, doom and punk metal chock-full of epic multi-layered guitars, shapeshifting tempos and fierce vocals. Their upcoming debut “You Can’t Bury What Still Burns” reframes timeless feminist struggles through mythology while deconstructing established ideals of women’s roles in modern society.
New single “When The Police Murder” unfolds a politically-charged topic, and while the vocal duo of Michela Albizzati and Celia Paul creates a haunting spiral that matches perfectly their pounding sludgy riffs, the songwriting on display is nothing short of epic.
APTERA is
Michela Albizzati – guitar, vocals
Celia Paul – bass, vocals
Renata Helm – guitar
Sara Neidorf – drums
