Utah band pillories political news with rock
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A Utah rock band is plugging into politics with a series of songs that assail the power the rich hold in government.
The big picture: In April, Utah County-based No Such Animal began releasing short, untitled recordings every week or two, with lyrics lambasting targets from Turbo Tax lobbyists to President Trump's White House ballroom.
Driving the news: A 33-second music video has circulated online as an anthem of rage against the proposed Box Elder County data center.
- "Once again they went and sold you out! They chose an AI data center over your hometown! They chose Kevin O'Leary over you and your family, and they do it all again!" frontman Finn Morrison belts while splashing in the Great Salt Lake.
Between the lines: "Everyone in the band has varying political affiliations and backgrounds, and we don't want to … support a particular political party or political candidate," Morrison tells Axios in an interview.
- "In my opinion, it's more of a class thing. There are very wealthy, powerful people, and they live in a different world than we do, and they play by a totally different set of rules … that makes it so they can basically do whatever they want at the expense of normal people."
Catch up quick: The band took shape a few years ago while Morrison and his wife, keyboardist and fellow songwriter Ella, were BYU students looking for musicians to jam with.
- For example, guitarist Cole Harris was a customer at Guitar Center while Morrison was working there. "I thought he shredded super hard, so I was like, 'Hey, you want to be in a band?'" Morrison says.
Flashback: No Such Animal gained traction in 2022 with the track "Witches in Salt Lake City," which has been streamed about 1.4 million times on Spotify.
Erin's thought bubble: Their ode to Lindsey Graham is a genuine bop.
The latest: They released their most recent album, "I'm Not Angry, You're Angry," in January.
What's next: No Such Animal is opening for Neon Trees at Fork Fest, which runs June 12-13 at Art Dye Park in American Fork.
- Ticket buyers can use the code word "ANIMAL" at checkout for a discount, Morrison says.