In this baffling, overwhelming time, the walls are really starting to cave in. The dwellers of San Francisco’s once-promised artistic utopia know this better than anyone — as every bit of physical and digital real estate becomes more costly by the minute, a reclamation of space has become more resilient; more defiant than ever.
Here to synthesize the moment is Pat Thomas, songwriting and bass-playing force behind San Francisco’s beloved Cool Ghouls. While the Ghouls have been dishing out lackadaisical garage rock for most of the 2010s, Thomas’ more sporadic solo work has quietly maintained its idiosyncratic approach to mystical poppy goodness. Beneath its breezy Californian surface, however, are stories that narrate the politics of everyday life. Thomas’ upcoming full-length, I Ain’t Buyin’ It, is timely commentary at its best, full of Thomas’ characteristically west-coast take on celebratory anthems, fiery jams and singalongs alike.
Fueled not just by the divisiveness of housing in his native San Francisco, but by the larger implications of space both borrowed and stolen, “Give The Land To The People” is a psyched-out 7 minute opus that reaches emphatic peaks. As a delirious, kraut-y rhythm is propelled by a swirling suite of percussion, horns and guitars, Thomas’ vocal refrains are sturdy and resolute. “The infrastructure of communities should be owned by the residents and workers who utilize it everyday,” said Thomas. “Not by some money guys who really have nothing to do with the daily happenings of these places.”
We’re pleased to share this brand new politi-funk anthem in its entirety below. After you listen, pre-order the full album, out October 26, here (unless of course, for some reason, you still ain’t buyin’ it).
I Ain’t Buyin’ It tracklisting:
01. The Money Guys
02. Are You Okay
03. What Is Coming
04. Alternator
05. Reflection Chamber
06. New Star-Ell
07. Egypt
08. Give The Land To The People
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