In early June, Everyone Asked About You — a much-loved relic of the late ‘90s Little Rock music scene — put out “We’re All Losing It,” their first new song in over 25 years. Stereogum named it one of their favorite tracks of the week, calling the tune “equal parts tongue-in-cheek and staggeringly morbid.” Signs pointed to it not being a standalone single, and today the emo band announced on social media that the song will indeed be part of an EP, “Never Leave,” that’s slated to hit streaming services on Aug. 5. Numero Group, the archival label who reissued the group’s entire discography on double vinyl last year, is behind the release.
The EP, which was recorded by Jason Weinheimer of Fellowship Hall Sound and mixed by North Carolina producer Alex Farrar, can be pre-saved here, and a second single titled “A Vigil” will premiere on YouTube at 2 p.m. tomorrow:
Guitarist/singer Chris Sheppard shared a bit about “A Vigil,” which plumbs the vital need for queer pride and solidarity, on his Instagram page:
Pride is rooted in confrontation. It’s not solely “look at us, be proud of us” (although that’s part of it, wanting to be fully accepted into the world around us). Pride is “look at us we’re proud of ourselves no matter what you throw at us.” It’s a bold and open proclamation of existence regardless. We are here, we have always been here, we will always be here.
But the world around us does harm. Queer people are under attack in personal, professional and legislative ways. It’s hard not to internalize that. Bigots are feeling more empowered than ever, using the language of the closet – “I’m tired of feeling like I can’t say what I feel” – to justify their hatred and then lash out verbally and physically.
A Confrontational Pride in the face of the current climate is vital. It is crucial that this pride includes solidarity across all marginalized groups within and outside the queer community.
Showing our numbers only helps in our communal liberation. Young people are less likely to feel alone in their struggle, and hopefully see a future with them in it, rather than seeing a future that looks too bleak to continue. Bigots will lash out but we have each others’ backs. To protect in the moment, lift up in the moments after.
This song is about the basic truth-we’re not going anywhere. We are the roots breaking through the concrete. I wrote it in a flurry of a couple hours after learning of the death of Nex Benedict and I was thrust back into memories from my teenage years of Brandon Teena, Matthew Shepard, and countless other stories of attacks on queer people. I wondered what would happen if we started telling the truth… if the people we are supposed to trust stopped twisting the things where we are supposed to find compassion and solace into weapons used against us.
Sheppard also shared a video of him playing the song acoustically: