see/saw jukebox 06: ekko astral
The band discuss their new single “Horseglue” and add some outstanding records to the jukebox.
see/saw jukebox is a bonus podcast about perfect punk records from Punk This Week hosts Nina Corcoran and Evan Minsker. It’s available exclusively to paid see/saw subscribers ($4/month or $40/year or barter + there’s a two-week free trial).
In each episode, Nina and Evan are joined by a guest. Then, each of us pick a perfect punk record to add to the idyllic punk jukebox of our minds. Subscribe and you can hear the full episode, in this post, below.
This time, we’re joined by Jael Holzman, Miri Tyler, and Liam Hughes of Ekko Astral. Upon today’s release of their new single “Horseglue,” the band discuss that track and other new songs they performed while touring the U.S. with PUP and Jeff Rosenstock.
“I was a reporter in the U.S. Congress,” Jael said of “Horseglue”’s origins. “And there I am watching [other journalists] launder transphobia and xenophobia through their work by simply providing equal weight to individuals with political power who lie. Their job is the truth and they’re lying constantly.”
Jael also explained how corporate journalism’s indelible ties to the fossil fuel industry informed the song. “I used to work for news outlets that are among the many who cover climate change while taking oil and gas money through the form of large advertisements, native advertisements, articles that are actually paid for, or large paper spreads,” she said.
“There is an indeterminate amount of money that is spent by fossil fuel companies in the news. How can we possibly think that by doing that, these news outlets can still credibly cover these subjects without fear of upsetting their benefactors, especially in a constrained media environment like the one we have today?”
“And lyrically, I’m fucking calling out gas stove bans,” Jael said. “I don’t know any other song that talks about gas stove bans. We need to ban gas stoves. They’re actually a hazard for your health.”
Below, check out the full episode to find out more about “Horseglue,” the proto-punk classic that inspired the band’s ethos, and hear which five punk records get added to the see/saw jukebox.
