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Featuring a vocal sample from a video that the Australian government intended to show refugees detained offshore, Trust Punks’ "Paradise/Angel-wire" is a powerful song about a suicide in an immigration detention center.
Written from the perspective of someone who sees it as one less thing to worry about, the song uses a sample from former Australian Immigration Miniser warning detainees that they won't be allowed into Australia and if they don't return home they will never leave detention.
The opening track from the Auckland band’s upcoming album Double Blnd sets the tone for an angry but intricate set of songs that look at suburban nationalists, incarceration and death.
Take a listen to the track below and read a short interview with the band's Joe Thomas.
NOISEY: As a New Zealander how do you view Australia’s ‘border security’ laws?
Joe Thomas: I actually moved to Sydney from Auckland last year which has given me a different take. I used to see Australia as a lot more progressive than New Zealand and the rest of the world but the way refugees are treated here is one thing that's changed that.
Is New Zealand's immigration laws more humane and just?
Yeah, I'd say so, but our refugee quota is still pretty pathetic.
Australian and New Zealand love talking about sporting rivalry but do you think they could do more in working together in processing and settling migrants?
Yes, definitely. New Zealand's mainstream media is pretty much in the government's pocket though, and John Key and Malcom Turnbull are literally best mates, so I wouldn't hold my breath.
We last spoke to you back in 2014. What has been happening since then?
With regard to Trust Punks we've pretty much just been sporadically recording and mixing this album with our friend Lawree. We are split between Auckland and Sydney these days so getting this album out has taken precedent over touring or whatever.
How did you hook up with Trip at Wharf Cat?
I kept on seeing their tunes pop up in our related tracks on Soundcloud so I checked them out and it turned out they had released a couple things I was real into, so we chucked them an email to see if they were interested in our record and they were!
With a US label now is touring and making a mark in the US high on your priorities?
I think it's more a case of us being much happier to stand behind this record than anything we've done previously so we had more of an interest in getting it out a bit further out there. We have a great label called Faux Discx putting it out in the UK/EU as well. Ideally we'd like to play some shows all over! But we'll have to see what happens.
'Double Bind' will be available in July through Wharf Cat, Faux Discx and Spunk.