On January 20, 2025, singer-songwriter Finn O’Sullivan, from Denver, US, released a duo of songs, a sort of anti-celebration of what was the day of Trump’s inaguration.
O’Sullivan is very clear about the message she’s sending “the man” with the couple of songs; “art is catharsis and action and power.” With the new government in place she sadly no longer wants to call the US her home and found no better way to express her frustration than by creating music.
The first of the duo, “Not My America”, takes aim at anti-choice laws and rhetoric, to unchecked gun violence, power imbalances, the refusal to accept the climate crisis, and the election of a convicted felon for the highest office in the country.
“My Trunk” however, as O’Sullivan told us via email, is “a direct response to a frequently re-posted post-election tweet, “Your body, my choice. Forever.” O’Sullivan’s response, expressed in the soft and sweet vocal style that is a hallmark of much of her other work, is repeated in the chorus of the song: “My body, whatever you want? Your body, my trunk.”
“I have this dream where I’m made of fire / I’m the belly of the beast / I’m a livewire / I had a nightmare 4 years long / He came back with a vengeance / I came back with a song
You think I’ll go quietly, your mistake / Your bars, my jailbreak / My body, whatever you want? / Your body, my trunk”
This is honest, well written protest music. Empathising with O’Sullivan’s words comes easy and while the music is mellow, her words are fierce. At the end of “My Trunk” she sings They warned me of men like you / Get on your knees, lick my boots / And when you go, you’ll tell the whole world / But who’s gonna believe I scared you? / I’m just a girl.”
Well, we here at Shouts will believe you Ms. O’Sullivan. And all the harrassed, and imprisoned musicians around the world will too. For they know what the power of song is. The fact that democratic governments, such as Spain for example, arrest musicians for their lyrics makes only one thing very clear: No matter who you are or where you’re from – if you make a certain type of music and lyrics, chances are “the man” will fear you.
And your fellow people will unite behind your song.
If I had to say a single thing about Australian folk musician Gailla’s debut EP, Over The Earth, Under, it’s that it shows she has a clear understanding of what makes the genre special. With gorgeous musical arrangement, poignant and sweet lyrics, and a concept that ties everything together, Gailla’s introduction to the recording music scene is something to be paying attention to. The keyword here is ambition, as Gailla not only effectively gets her point across, in just over 17 minutes, but also lets us know she is an artist with much more to say.
Over The Earth, Under could simply be described as a protest EP, one centered around the current climate crisis, but Gailla and her band decided to take the concept even further. The first track of the project, midden, is a quick thirty-second invitation to the universe she is setting up, with nature sounds that eventually get overshadowed by protesters chanting: “We will not stop, we will not rest.” This mirrors the final track of the EP, pippi, another interlude where nature sounds seem to be the focus, as the vague presence of people can hardly be heard. These two tracks alone already give the EP a conceptual feel, as the longer and lyrically focused songs are contextualized within them. In a way, with this structure, it almost seems as if Gailla is attempting to capture the essence of a real protest, with a clear focus, a striking beginning, and a somewhat fleeting conclusion.
Adding to this idea, the EP’s middle part also feels like the stream of consciousness someone would have in a real-life protest. We know the cause is just, we know that the fight is bigger than ourselves, but we can’t help but think of how this affects us, the people we love, loathe the people that brought it to be, have doubts, hopes, and more. Take, for example, the song Shape of Change, where Gailla sings about people whose “shape of change” necessitates that folks like her are poor, estranged, hurt, or even dead. Considering the context of the EP and the explicit mention of these people’s desire for other countries’ oil, we can easily imagine which power structures the song is aimed at.
I could go further with this concept, like with the songs 536 and Running on our own, both of which show Gailla embracing different feelings around the climate crisis, like doubt, collective strength, hope, etc. However, I would like to bring attention to the songs Run to and its partner Run to (the water), as these tracks show Gailla’s chops as a folk musician. On the first one, Gailla ponders where she’ll run to if the crisis reaches critical levels and, almost as importantly, if the person she loves would come along. With sharp writing, and a pinch of humor though overall a gloomy perspective, the song ends with unanswered questions about what this future would hold for them. In its partner song, Run to (the water), the nature imagery becomes vivid, as this running away with someone turns into a poetic and hypnotic metaphor about embracing nature. “We can just go anywhere she takes us/ Over the Earth, under dark blue mud”. Like the great folk musicians that came before her, Gailla amps her fight for nature by almost becoming one with it, making us connect more fiercely with every single one of her words.
In conclusion, Over The Earth, Under is a fantastic, short, and to-the-point, EP about the current climate crisis and the way it affects us. It shows that Gailla and her band deeply understand the genre and that they will use this talent and knowledge for a just cause moving forward.
As for us, we can only wait to see what she’ll do next.
In recent years, the world has witnessed the alarming consequences of climate change. From rising sea levels and extreme weather events to the loss of biodiversity, no corner of the globe has been spared. One country that has been particularly affected is Chile, a land of breathtaking landscapes, diverse ecosystems, and vibrant culture.
Chile’s unique geography spans across a vast range of ecosystems, including the Atacama Desert, the Andes Mountains, and the temperate rainforests of Patagonia. However, these natural wonders are under severe threat due to climate change. The rising temperatures and changing weather patterns have led to prolonged droughts in the central and northern regions of the country, including the Atacama Desert, one of the driest places on Earth. This has had a catastrophic impact on local flora and fauna, pushing many species to the brink of extinction.
Additionally, the melting glaciers in the Andes Mountains pose a significant challenge for Chile. These glaciers are not only a source of freshwater but also play a crucial role in regulating the country’s water supply. As they continue to shrink, Chile faces a severe water scarcity crisis, particularly in its agricultural heartland. Farmers are struggling to grow crops, and the lack of water has led to a decline in agricultural productivity, thus threatening food security for the Chilean people.
Black metal music is perhaps not the first thing that comes to people’s minds when you say environmental protest music, but in recent years, the musical genre has become more and more socially and environmentally conscious as bands around the world are using their music to raise awareness about rising fascism, animal rights or harm to the environment. The often very atmospheric music is a perfect fit for songs about the earth, its wonders and its pain.
One of these artists is a black metal project from Chile, called Ecologist, and the man behind it, simply called V, states that each song on the album represents a different ecosystem in his home country. I spoke with V about the new album and about the consequences him and his people are facing in Chile as a result of rising temperatures and sea levels.
You can follow Ecologist on Facebook and Instagram for updates about the music!
Halldór Kristínarson: Thank you for taking the time to answer a few questions. For those not familiar with your work, who is V and how did the Ecologist project come about? What is your musical background?
Ecologist: Thanks for the space for the interview Halldór. V. stands for the first initial of my name and I am the only member behind the environmentalist black metal project Ecologist.
The project came under the idea to explore ecology and environment with the music and writing of the possible demise of humanity under the circumstances of global warming, climate change and biodiversity loss.
My musical background is very diverse, but I‘m mostly into alternative rock and black metal, so some of the juxtapositions of the music are in between those main styles, sometimes managing to insert shoegaze in black metal, sometimes making „rock influenced“ passages, and other similar stuff.
Further compositions vary in style a lot though.
HK: What made you want to create an album represting the nature and ecological systems of Chile?
E: Nature contemplation is one of my main drivers to compose music. It might be most prevalent source of inspiration of atmospheric black metal bands, but I believe that my vision is of the [concern] of the risks and impacts that climate change can cause on it.
The idea of representing the Chilean Eco-regions was given by my love. I was wondering how I could represent different ecosystems through each compositions and the use of Chilean Eco-regions to exemplify them was her idea while discussing it. I chose some examples of places I knew and visited and made an investigation to elaborate the lyrics.
HK: Has your music always been in the form of protest or always included a socially or ecologically conscious message?
E: I believe it is more like a call to conscientize [about] the risks of nature and biodiversity loss. In Ecologist the main drive was to imagine a future where we could no longer exist because the climate conditions don‘t allow life as we know it.
HK: Why do you think music can be such an effective form of protest or activism?
E: Maybe because of the same reason in which black metal evocates nature and landscapes. Recognizing the beauty in nature, and understanding that the risk of loss is prevalent, might be the first step to try to address it.
“I believe that changing the mindset of other people and communicating might be the most powerful act that one can do.”
HK: What do you hope to achieve with your music?
E: Express my worry and disgust of the system we live in.
HK: What are some of your favorite places in Chilean nature that you‘d like to recommend to people?
E: There are many national parks that I love, but maybe one of the most beautiful places I‘ve ever been is the Torres del Paine. Most of Patagonia is simply astonishing.
The album cover for ‘reinos y ecoregiones’ (translated: kingdoms and ecoregions) by Ecologist out now on tape by Fiadh Productions. Cover photo was taken by V himself in Torres del Paine National Park in Chile.
HK: What projects do you have on the horizon?
E: Many, but I‘m having bit lack of time to execute them. For the nearest possible release, there might be an EP in 2024 and possibly I‘ll have the second album finished.
HK: Anything else you‘d like to shout from the rooftops?
E: It’s hard to take action in environmental issues world wide. We‘ve seen many efforts in diplomacy to establish effective measures to mitigate climate change, but still they are very mild. Each country faces different risks under climate change and Chile will face some of the worst due to its vulnerability to other existing risks. In Chile we‘re seeing deforestation, fires everywhere, over exploitation of resources, drought and many other impacts that will be even more enhanced by the rise of temperatures and sea level.
Which action is effective? Well, I still really don‘t know and I believe that changing the system is so hard that I feel a bit demoralized that we won‘t be even able to adapt and mitigate the risks. Everything you can do is a pro to mitigate and adapt, but I believe that changing the mindset of other people and communicating might be the most powerful act that one can do.
