premiere: pleasure venom’s “fascist” is the punk rock anthem we need right now

It’s been a long fucking four years, fam. But for those of us who have dedicated our lives to fighting fascism, we know that this wasn’t an aberration, and even Impeachment 2: Electric Boogaloo isn’t the end. On their latest, Pleasure Venom peel back the veneer of American civility to reveal the fascist rot beneath. Singer Audrey Campbell says the kernel of the song started with the realization that “Americans, including myself, being sent back to work in a pandemic because rich people needed shit like haircuts and brunch was pretty fucking fascist. It wasn’t until I finished the lyrics that I realized why I had even put pen to paper. I had fucking snapped.”

The song took shape from there building over a year of simmering tension, finally exploding with the chaos of the past week. “As I write this, racism still runs rampant in America. Sharing on your social feeds because it’s trendy is not enough to end a systemic, generational problem. Even a pandemic cannot stop the rampant racism, classism, bigotry and homophobia when it should be a time to come together against these fascist ideals and build something new. There were Black lives lost, particularly Black trans people murdered last year that have resulted in no arrest, conviction, or justice for anyone. And now the nation’s capitol has been stormed by fascist pawns. We wrote this song almost a year ago, so don’t tell me no one else saw this coming.”

Cambpell continues. “We saw the stark contrast between the unchecked insurgence and the BLM protests, where the National Guard were called and buses were ready to sweep up anyone present. Fascism and racism are real, and now the entire world knows – America has truly revealed itself. We watched bigoted American Police take selfies and escort racists, fascists, and terrorrists in and out of the Capitol building on January 6th. We saw how tolerant they were to them. Where was that tolerance during BLM protests?

So now what? Do you just share to Instagram and social feeds? Trust me, that’s simply not enough. We have to start in how we treat the people in our own personal Black and Brown communities. We need to take action in small but impactful ways. Find your lane and get into it – but if you are not actively combating racism some way in your daily life, you are part of the problem. This movement has to move away from performative displays of solidarity. Put the pressure on, and give ‘em hell. Keep up the energy. Most of all, stay informed, and wear a goddamn mask, because we would like to tour again!”

Follow Pleasure Venom on Instagram @PleasureVenom and grab a copy of their recent full length off Bandcamp while you’re at it.