Brooklyn, NY-based indie alt-rock band, Locations have arrived with their energetic and powerful new single, “Trickle.” The chaotic, guitar-driven track was inspired by the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes going on across the TV and movie industry for over 130 days, as guitarist/vocalist Niko Rummell and drummer/vocalist Thomas Whidden are both Teamsters Local 817 Location Scouts for film and TV. Listen to the track, which hits close to home for Locations and is sure to hit hard with fans, now below.
Speaking about the track, Locations said, “In a world that feels so incredibly divided, we want to use our music to unite the working class on common sense issues to create meaningful change. Most reasonable people believe that healthcare is a human right, that the climate emergency requires immediate action, and that our system of government is corrupt. We need to stay focused on what benefits us all and start working together to achieve it, because there is literally no time to waste.”
Throughout their time making music together they’ve carved out a signature guitar and drums heavy sound, featuring outspoken lyricism and an unbelievable amount of heart. And their primary objective above all else has in recent years become fierce advocacy for the little guy. Universal healthcare, opposition to banks funding new fossil fuel companies, combating political corruption and defending democracy are some of the causes they’ve spoken for. Many have taken notice of these guys in the process. Their summer 2022 single, “Moves,” aired on popular radio stations like WFUV and WFOX, landed them a sponsorship with German audio company, Sennheiser, and accrued thousands of streams on Spotify. The success of the single propelled Locations to book festival appearances at Musikfest 2023, a New Colossus Festival Summer Saturdays showcase, as well as a featured slot at NYC’s go-to music hotspot, Mercury Lounge. They were also featured in HBO’s Vinyl. Most recently they released singles in support of Extinction Rebellion NYC’s four climate demands, and in support of the pro-democracy anti-corruption group Represent Us. Not bad for two young musicians from Brooklyn.
Over the last year they’ve been hard at work finishing up their anticipated sophomore EP, STOP THE MONEY. It’s their most potent and personal set of songs to date. Lead single, “Trickle,” is alternative rock ear candy for fall 2023. The song is an anthem in support of the modern American Labor movement and a call to tax the ultra wealthy at Eisenhower-era levels. In the band’s words, “the song is about corporate greed, capitalism, class solidarity, and taxing the rich. Over the last several decades, there has been a massive transfer of wealth from the working class to the richest of the rich. We’re not talking about doctors and lawyers-rich, we believe working people deserve to make a fair living. We’re talking about the parasitic ultra-wealthy, who are hoarding more wealth than they could ever possibly spend.”
Musically the song is three minutes of adrenaline inducing guitar solos, smashing drums and a clear message to the establishment: enough is enough. Produced by Nelson Antonio Hernandez-Espinal of STUY (formerly Stuyedeyed) and mixed by Matt Bayles, who’s worked with bands like Minus the Bear, Botch, and Mastodon, the forthcoming EP is more than a work of art, it’s a message to the working class across the political spectrum that the time to take action is now. Expect to see much more from Locations over the next few years. This band shows no sign of slowing. They can’t and they won’t. And we thank them for it.
A labor of love from top to bottom, the “Trickle” music video was directed, produced, and edited by drummer/vocalist Thomas Whidden. It was filmed by Nick Pray and Niko Rummell on location. Speaking on it, Whidden says: “The concept has been around since the song was written and almost feels incomplete without the visual aid. The video is meant to distill capitalism to its bare essentials and showcase the system of control in a familiar but surreal way. For capitalism to work, one group must be exploited to enable the financial gain of another. When you consider the system in the simplest form, it is plainly immoral.”
He continues: “It’s difficult to fully understand the exploitative nature of our current system, in which workers are not given their fair share of profit and are subordinate to our capitalist autocrats. We live in a so-called democracy and there is no reason why we cannot bring democracy to our places of work. There is no value in any business without the working class. There is no value in the ruling class continuing to monopolize the means of production for their own unearned gain. Their greed is what prevents our society from achieving healthcare as a human right, a safe and sustainable environment, and a system of government free from corruption. This unbalanced system of power is woven into the very fabric of modern society, but their time is coming to an end. Regular working people all over the world are beginning to wake up to the grift and recognizing the power in solidarity. It simply doesn’t add up why so many full time workers are struggling to survive while the rich and powerful live a life of luxury thanks to our labor. Our time has come. Tax the rich.”