Aussie activist outfit In Hearts Wake have released their first new music in three years today in the form of new single ‘Worldwide Suicide’. The confronting track was unveiled to incite positive action as individuals worldwide continue to wake up to the reality of climate change.
It’s a message that hits especially close to home given the Australian bushfires that took place earlier this year, with the video depicting a house – our house – on fire. “The Antarctic has reached an all time high temperature of 20.7°C”, pointed out In Hearts Wake’s Jake Taylor. “The Australian bushfires have burned over 12 million hectares of land, killing over 1 billion animals. The Climate Crisis is pounding on our door and we need to take action while there is still a window to turn it around. It’s time for profound systemic change as individuals and as a community.”
The track also features an introduction that samples Greta Thunberg’s address at the Climate Strike in New York City last year – an event that Taylor attended in person. “It was the first time in a while that I felt so much hope for the future”, he added. “When we gathered at Battery Park I felt inspired to pull out my voice recorder. Greta delivered an incredible speech. Some of the elders around me likened it to the time they heard Martin Luther King deliver his ‘I have a dream’ speech in the 60’s. One week later our track ‘Crisis’ was born.”
The video that came from ‘Worldwide Suicide’ has been described as “confrontational” by the band, as it shows individuals throughout every stage of life in the face of threat. “We created this not to shock or cause despair”, they added, “but to incite positive action.” In that vein, In Hearts Wake will be planting 1 tree for every 1,000 views the video receives, walking the walk with the intention to restore some of the East Coast of Australia next Spring.
“Music is both our art and our platform. I feel we have a responsibility as artists to challenge the status quo. What challenges has the potential to create change. If we can change, then we can evolve.”
You can read more about the inspiration for the song at What’s Your 2040, Project Drawdown and at Extinction Rebellion. Consider supporting the School Strike for Climate Change .
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