The Homeless Gospel Choir, the musical moniker of songwriter Derek Zanetti, has just shared a brand new single “Don’t Compare” available everywhere now from A-F Records. “Don’t Compare” marks a drastic shift in the sound of the Pittsburgh, PA-based songwriter’s long-running project and offers a preview of what’s to come from The Homeless Gospel Choir‘s next full-length. The song is kinetic blast of power-pop hooks and shout-along punk energy that perfectly captures the band’s exciting sonic evolution while maintaining Zanetti’s distinct ability to blend unabashed earnestness with a touch of tongue-in-cheek humor.
Zanetti explained the song’s meaning: “This song is about how the Internet devalues your humanity and forces you to become something that you’re not through marketing and advertising. In many ways it’s like a perpetual high school bully who’s always telling you’ll never measure up. It also serves as a reminder that being you, even if it’s unpopular, is way better than faking it to be someone else.”
For nearly a decade, Zanetti has been making music and touring the world as The Homeless Gospel Choir, an ever-changing project that’s been rooted in singer/songwriter intimacy performed through a punk rock lens. Now driven by the desire to lean into a ruckus, full band sound, Zanetti has recruited his friends and fellow musicians Matt Miller (Endless Mike and the Beagle Club, Wingnut Dishwashers Union), Maura Weaver (Mixtapes, Ogikubo Station), Megan Schroer (Boys, Kitty Kat Fan Club), and Craig Luckman (Small Pollen, Belly Boys), along with producer Chris #2 (Anti-Flag, White Wives), to help create a loud new chapter for The Homeless Gospel Choir. Stay tuned for more announcements coming soon.
The Homeless Gospel Choir is on tour now in Europe supporting Anti-Flag with more 2020 shows to come. See full itinerary below.
Tour Dates:
01/10 Vitoria, ES @ Kubik *
01/11 Zaragoza, ES @ Sala López *
01/12 Barcelona, ES @ Estraperlo *
01/14 Milano, IT @ HT Factory *
01/16 Zurich, CH @ Dynamo *
01/17 Graz, AT @ PPC *
01/18 Vienna, AT @ Flex *
01/19 Prague, CZ @ Roxy *
01/21 Berlin, DE @ S036 *
01/22 Munich, DE @ Backstage Werk *
01/23 Nuremberg, DE @ Löwensaal *
01/24 Chemnitz, DE @ Talschock *
01/26 Warsaw, PL @ Proxima *
01/28 Hamburg, DE @ Fabrik *
01/29 Köln, DE @ Essigfabrik *
01/30 Haarlem, NL @ Patronaat *
* w/ Anti-Flag