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Author: David Robison

  • Ordinary Life by We Are the Union

    Ordinary Life by We Are the Union

    Artist: We Are the Union 

    Album: Ordinary Life 

    Release: June 4, 2021; Bad Time Records 

    This week I thought I might try something new. I typically do not do track by track reviews, but I feel like today is special so I am going to share my first ever track by track.  It is for “Ordinary Life” by We Are the Union. It is one of my favorite albums of the last several years. It is definitely in the top 5 ska albums of all time. When “Ordinary Life” was announced, it was billed as singer Reade Wolcott’s trans coming out album that follows her journey to becoming the person she truly is. 

    1. “Pasadena” has such an iconic opening. ‘You woke up to an empty apartment in Pasadena’ is an amazing lyric for setting the stage for the song and frankly the album as well. To top that off, Reade’s vocal delivery is stunning. The way the guitar cold opens the song and ramps into the aforementioned first line of the song is stellar.  Then the guitar keeps delivering the goods all the way through the song and into the solo about midway through. I am typically a person that likes to focus on lyrics but the music of this song just rips so hard. It’s almost an ironic juxtaposition that lyrically the song is about dealing with the monotony of life because the music is anything but mundane.    

    2. “Morbid Obsessions” is about the struggle between expectations that are placed on you by life and family. How a lot of toxicity can be generated when you try to shove yourself into those expectations. Ultimately, the song comes to the conclusion that you have to live for yourself and if that means being the girl you are instead of the boy everyone insisted you should be than so be it. Trans experience is a huge part of this song but stepping outside of that for a second, I still think it is an extremely relatable song for cis folk because, while different, the struggle between expectations placed on you and what you actually want for yourself still exists for a lot of people. On top of this important message, we get a upbeat ska soundtrack with some rather amazing horns. The music really brings it all together to deliver a sense that while the struggle is difficult, the outcome is positive. It is very hopeful.   

    3. “Short Circuit” This song is about dealing with anxiety, self doubt, and romantic relationships. My absolutely favorite part of the song is at the 15 second mark the music drops out and Reade says ‘sorry’ and she sounds so overwhelmed. This is the kind of thing that just endlessly tickles my brain. It is such a small but inspired bit. It could have been left out but it wasn’t and the song is one hundred times better for it, especially given the subject matter. I totally get it. The constant need to apologize is strong when you are full of self doubt and anxiety.    

    4. “Broken Brain” is a very relatable song for me, a person who often has their head in the clouds and finds himself in trouble because of it. 

    5. “Make It Easy” An extremely cute love song with a hint of young love. It is coy, playful, and best of all it is so easy to sing along too. 

    6. “Boys Will Be Girls” This is a straight up bop and an amazing trans anthem. Honestly, there is nothing I do not love about this song but the best part is hands down the following verse— 

    throw a tantrum, hold a sign

    as the infantry arrives

    we’ll take back the city tonight

    the kids will be alright

    your old ways will die

    in the darkest depths we’ll stand here in the light

    The first half is so strikingly visual. I can’t help but envision a group of transphobes getting run off by a group of counter protesters. It gets me really pumped. I am not gonna lie. It is very empowering. The second half just matter of factly states that progress will inevitably win. A message I can get behind.    

    7. “Wasted” is another highly singable song. It is a very tongue and cheek look at vices. 

    8. “Big River” has a lot of intricate guitar in this song that I find quite enjoyable. The stabby horn riffs that lace through the back half of the song are so freaking good as well. It is a groovy song that makes you want to just mellow out and chill. It does a great job of invoking a feeling of floating on a big inner tube as a river slowly carries you away from your problems. 

    9. “Ordinary Life”  is the first We are the Union song that I every heard. It was released on the Bad Time Records; Ska Against Racism compilation. I don’t think I could have picked a better introduction song for myself if I tried. It instantly sold me on the band by containing everything I look for in a ska song. Ripping horns, classic ska guitar galore, bass guitar that bumps, and those drums. Damn near perfect, if you ask me.  

    10. “Everything Alone” is a song about the one who got away. The lies we tell ourselves to rationalize how things turned out. The reality of wishing things had turned out differently and realizing you miss the person that you should have never let walk out of your life.  

    11. “December” is my favorite song on the album. It contains so much emotion, both sorrow and joy. It is intense and I still get a little weepy (the good kind) from time to time when listening to it. Letting your past self die so your real self can live is a powerful message for anyone, but especially for the trans community. It is the perfect capstone song for the end of Reade’s journey. It also contains one of my all time favorite lyrics—“The only difference between a garden and a graveyard is what you bury in it” It is a potent metaphor of hope within the context of the song for sure. Even when viewed generally, it is such a meaningful saying. I think about it a lot. 

    What I find truly inspiring about this album is its supremely honest and earnest look into the life of an average trans woman. The ‘horror’ of what we find is that it is absolutely normal. We all share similar struggles and have similar goals and desires. I know that some people find it hard to wrap their heads around what it means to be trans and what that is like. What I think the take away from this album is—that level of understanding is not required. If we are being honest with ourselves, we will admit that we know exactly what it is like to want to be loved and accepted for who we really are. If we can find common ground in that, then maybe we can change the world so trans people won’t have to struggle so much.

  • Dead World Building by How I became Invisible

    Dead World Building by How I became Invisible

    Artist: How I Became Invisible 

    Album: Dead World Building 

    Release: March 6, 2026; Anthropic Principle Records 

    How I Became Invisible is back with more Sci-fi infused emo punk rock. “Dead World Building” picks up where the previous release “Everything Not Saved Will Be Lost” left off. It continues with the themes of trans struggle. However, while the last album delivered more of a zeal to fight a changing world, this one instead settles on themes of building something positive in a world that is dead or dying. In a sense, you get the feeling that the fight from the last album was lost and we are left here dealing with the aftermath.

    The initial track “Dead Astronauts, Pt. 1” goes a long way to set the stage for the feeling of a battle lost. The lo-fi crackles and pops make the song seem like a lost transmission. I can’t help but imagine an astronaut floating in the void to space, signing off for the last time having become resigned to an “inevitable” fate.  Then, in “Dead Astronauts, Pt. 2” instead of the lo-fi crackles, you are greeted in the first notes of the song by a piano. The notes are soft, sweet and beautiful. As the song progresses, you begin to feel that perhaps things are not as bleak as the first part had led us to believe. Then,  the second verse hits with a rather poetic metaphor and ends with the line ‘That we are not the problem and we’re not gonna die for you’. This is a line that is reprised from “We Are (NOT) The Problem” a song from the last album. I described it as a trans resistance anthem and a fight song. This is the point where the astronaut I imagined from the first song decides that fate is not inevitable and that a better world can be built and fought for. These two songs act as flag posts for the themes of the album. Pt. 1— continued struggle. Pt. 2—the active choice to build something positive in a world that is falling apart around you. 

    Up until the song, “We Are (not) Okay”, I think a lot of the trans struggle has been couched in metaphors of sci-fi. A fantastic move as sci-fi makes it easier to consume for the masses. While, giving a wink and saying—If you know you know—to its real target audience. This song however drops the sci-fi set dressing and just flat out lays it all on the line. It is a heart wrenching song. I hope cis people like me, listen to this song and begin to understand that the present struggles of trans people will be the the future struggles of everyone. If we allow oppressors to steal the human rights from one group, they will not stop until no one has human rights. This will be everyone’s future if we roll over and allow it to continue to happen to our trans neighbors.

    This is not a surprise to anyone who knows me but “Mosh Pit In The Wawa” is my favorite song of the album. It is a relentlessly catchy punk rock celebration of putting a past relationship behind you and moving on. I love so much about this song from the intro delivered as if it were a page broadcast over the intercom system of the titular Wawa, to the verses that end in the lyrics “The world I love is waiting for me, and I am stronger than I thought I’d be.” I just find it an incredibly empowering statement especially how it is sung. Emily’s ability to pen these inspirational one liners is a highlight of her writing for me.       

    “Judicious Bloodletting” is a top notch instrumental song. “Harley and Ivy” isn’t technically an instrumental piece but is still an impressive composition that is laid over a spoken word piece that I feel is very meaningful. You kind of have to dial in to hear it all but it is definitely worth the extra attention you’ll have to pay. For anyone unfamiliar with How I Became Invisible’s back catalog, these 2 tracks are a great introduction to Emily’s instrumental work and really sells her prowess for composition.  

    “Dead World Building” is another fantastic addition to the How I Became Invisible discography. I appreciate the expansion on what “Everything Not Saved Will Be Lost” gave us. It is a refinement of themes as much as it was a continuation of the story. It may be bold of me to suggest, but I think this album is best listened to in its entirety directly after listening to the whole of “Everything Not Safe Will Be Lost”. In fact, during an interview I did with Emily way back in 2023, she said that all of How I Became Invisible’s albums tell an interconnected story and I think that with these last 2 albums that has become perfectly clear.