In chaos, the world turns to the steady arms of punk rock. Luckily for us, California-based punk band Ceremony is back with their seventh studio record, Tell Me Your Dream, out August 7th via Relapse Records.
Ceremony has collected all the experience and empathy that comes with watching the world through a punk lens for twenty-one years. And with the help of John Reis (Rocket from Crypt), they have crafted an album that calls for urgent solidarity and collective action on the right side of the hill to die on. Vocalist Ross Farrar has previously stated, “In punk, I don’t see how you can’t respond. It’s taken over our lives in so many different ways – economically, politically, (and) spiritually. We want people to wake up and get into what’s happening.” If one thing is true, it is this: when injustice seems so widespread that it is hard to comprehend fully, humans turn to art to organise their feelings and thoughts. What follows is action.
The title, ‘Tell Me Your Dream,’ holds a deep social philosophy. Farrar adds to it by asking that you “tell me your dream in a time when intimacy and vulnerability seem neglected. Tell me your dream when reciprocity has become a contract. Tell me your dream when they ask, ‘What do you do?’ Something untrained by the mind that sparks inspiration.” We’ve had these anti-social ideologies erode our connection to each other, making every encounter a transaction and a rung on a ladder going nowhere. Sometimes a simple question can break the hypnotic curse of rugged individualism.
Of course, the sound of punk classics runs through this album. Fugazi and Crass come to mind in almost every song, but in a way that feels like Ceremony is shaking hands with them in agreement and with a plan to keep the good message going. The third track, ‘Madness’, has undertones of The Clash’s post-punk work and Fontaines D.C. with a funky bass line running through its political vein. Guitarist Andy Nelson asked in Stereogum, “Why aren’t punk bands saying the word ‘Palestine’ on their records?” in reference to this song. Ceremony’s willingness to remain steadfast in their views gives their fans a backbone they can rely on. The track Death Destruction Mayhem erupts with a chorus that says “Fighting makes you feel strong/ Killing really turns you on/ Outside reflects within emphasising that you cannot divide who you are inside with what evil you choose to enact.” It is simplistic in the best, most explosive way.
‘Tell Me Your Dream ‘is Ceremony’s answer to where we should stand in the hurricane of power behaving at its worst. Are we going to let it tear our homes apart every time it blows through, or are we going to reinforce our communities and build them strong enough to stand taller than their storms, rendering them powerless?
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