Review Text
Punk has never been a stranger to tackling controversial issues. On the contrary. For more than 40 years, Punk has shown time and time again to be a LOUD voice of reason and unity in a chaotic, irrational and often devastating reality. True to their Punk roots, NOi!SE tackles these issues head on, and more specifically here with the issue of gun violence and school shootings, in a very powerful, non-political way. "Mass Apathy" (previously unreleased) is brutal, and the intentional vocal silence between verses is deafening; a symbol of lives [children] lost. The words themselves and the vocal contribution from Skinhead Rob (TRANSPLANTS/RANCID) really bring it over the top. Unquestionably, this important song and message will spread far and wide, adding a colorful set of voices to an already loud and vibrant movement. The real goal though is to get people standing up and demanding changes to policies that endanger the lives and futures of America's children. The record itself has a ring of bullets milled out, and the audio cut at 45 RPM inside that ring. The B-side and the clear poly sleeve are both screen printed to really bring it all over the top and present a piece of art that will really blow some minds! If the music industry takes note of the way that releases like this can generate impressive (both social & financial) support in today's vinyl collectors market, we'll see a lot more mainstream artists and labels knocking out creative and innovative projects like this to benefit good causes on Record Store Day. PLEASE NOTE: In response to the recent barrage of public shootings, especially those involving school children, NOi!SE, Pirates Press Records and Rev Distribution will donate all proceeds from this song/record to charity.
