Created with the irreverent resonance of The Magnetic Fields and the effortless activism of Woody Guthrie, Ruckus Aquinas‘ latest release, AR-EP, is truly something special to come out of Richmond in a time of pure anxiety and discomfort. It’s a direct, sincere record that begs honest critique, even if such discourse seems impossible in Richmond at this moment as we monitor our Capitol.

But if we’re not going to dissect this four track EP, at least we can invite you all to give it a listen today and remind yourself what exactly is at stake in this conversation. It’s not about whether we’ll have the ability to rally together in some depressing version of Army-con, not in the least. It’s about curbing an America-only epidemic and protecting the life of all people, regardless of race, gender, or — and it’s sad that we have to even say this — age.

Whether you’re constantly refreshing social media for updates or trying as hard as you can to avoid the news today, we invite you to give Ruckus Aquinas’ AR-EP a listen and maybe some sense will be made of today’s demonstration.

AR-EP by Ruckus Aquinas is available now to stream and purchase through Bandcamp. For more information on the band, check out their Facebook page.