asylum seekers – Sounds of Oz

I generally have a bit of an aversion to songs with title containing profanity. Call me old-fashioned, but I generally feel like it’s unwarranted and uncreative, just there to shock rather than really making any clever point. So any song with bad language in the title has a hard time convincing me it deserves a place on this blog. The Smith Street Band’s latest single “Wipe That Shit-Eating Grin Off Your Punchable Face” did just that.

This is just the sort of thought-provoking music I love to hear. The true spirit of punk music runs through the lyrics which criticise Tony Abbott and his policies on asylum seekers. It all needed to be said. And it’s not just paying lip service to the issue either. All of the digital sales until the end of February and a large part of the physical sales will benefit the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre, the country’s leading organisation for asylum seekers.

Digital copies are available now, and you can pre-order the 7” single through the Poison City Records store. This is one song worth supporting.

The Cat Empire may be enjoying some time apart at the moment, but the band has joined forces with Tunes for Change to release Asylum. This selection of rare and unreleased songs from The Cat Empire and its side projects is available for the next few months only from the Tunes for Change website.

All monies raised by the release will benefit the Asylum Seeker Resource Center, Australia’s largest group advocating on the behalf of asylum seekers and protecting their human rights. The band hopes to raise $50, 000 for the charity.

The Cat Empire wants to make the album accessible to as many people as possible, so it’s asking people to donate $5 or more for it. If all you can spare is $5, that’s fine. But if you have more and you’re passionate about the cause, you can be more generous.

Image source: Stuart Sevastos @ Wikimedia Commons

Tag: asylum seekers

The Smith Street Band Sticks it to Tony Abbott

The Cat Empire Releases Album for Asylum Seekers