Cable Ties – "Sandcastles"

The Australian trio Cable Ties are releasing their sophomore album, Far Enough, at the end March. It’s the follow-up to their 2017 self-titled debut and their first record Merge.

Today, they’re sharing a new song from it, “Sandcastles,” a glowering track in which Jenny McKechnie, who has a bit Corin Tucker’s quiver in her voice, leads the band in a call-and-response about passivity and accountability. “You don’t do anything because you never stopped kicking down sandcastles,” she sings as an indictment.

Here’s what she said about the track in a statement:

“Sandcastles” is a criticism the idea that an effective activist community can be created by shouting down and casting out anyone who doesn’t abide by the social norms or language an exclusive community or group. The song is aimed at a figurative individual who doesn’t have any interest in making positive changes in society or participating in open and productive discussions about political and social issues. Rather, they set themselves up as the gatekeepers progressive groups by aggressively policing language and immediately casting out anyone who doesn’t abide by the codes behavior they have created. This turns purportedly intersectional, progressive groups into exclusive clubs only accessible to people with homogeneous opinions, social and economic backgrounds, and ways speaking.

Watch a video for the track below.

TRACKLIST:
01 “Hope”
02 “Tell Them Where To Go”
03 “Sandcastles”
04 “Lani”
05 “Not My Story”
06 “Self-Made Man”
07 “Anger’s Not Enough”
08 “Pillow”

Far Enough is out 3/27 Merge / Poison City (AUS/NZ). Pre-order it here.