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Do you think there's no good protest music these days? So did I, until I started looking for it. The truth is, it’s always been out there, but it's sometimes just a bit difficult to find. Every month, I search it out, listen to it all, then round up the best of it that relates to that month’s political news. Here’s the round-up for July 2023.

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1. ZION TRAIN - DISSIDENT SOUND ��

On July 1, Melbourne's Ecosocialism 2023 conference tackled the controversial topic of economic degrowth. Days earlier, British dub reggae stalwarts Zion Train released their new album, which includes the song "Degrowth". On the opening track, singer Cara calls for the same system-wide change as the conference as she announces: "Here we come with the dissident sound, smash up the system, turn that shit around, frontline, feet on the ground, this is a dissident sound." .��But introverts who shied away may take heart in the of leftist chart-topping rockers The Manic Street Preachers, released on July 2. Discussing it, he said: “There’s a line on the album, ‘I’m not a socialist any more. The social bit leaves me cold.’ but I’ve always struggled with the communal, social aspect of it." ��

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2. POWER ALONE - NOTHINGNESS ��

Wire may find some kind of solidarity in , who released the follow-up to their album "Rather Be Alone" just three days before his. On its track "Cancer" they seethe: "No one’s safe, had no choice, we’re born into this toxic world. Poisons in all our bodies, industrial society’s casualties. I’ve seen so many friends suffer, I can’t imagine their fear. There’s no escape, disease and pain will come for us all, it feels like our fate." Days later, the World Health Organisation warned that , but soda companies would not have to stop using it. That came after similar alerts for , and . On July 16, The Sydney Morning Herald reported that . That followed reports that and will get cancer in their lifetimes. ��

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3. LAUREN BOUSFIELD - SALESFORCE��

Anyone who has to work for the cancer-causing capitalist machine may find solace in the new album by Lauren Bousfield. The experimental electronic musician hawks her skills to pay bills by writing commercial soundtracks. In her free time, like that found on Salesforce, released on July 7. Discussing her paid work, she said: “Society does not work, nothing works, so making music for something that’s like, ‘This totally works!’ makes me feel more sardonic.” Similarly scathing anti-capitalist screeds are also found on the , released a week later. Both albums came as business media outlet Bloomberg announced that on average this year. It went on to praise prominent member Warren Buffett for a - his increased investment in fossil fuels.

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4. ANOHNI AND THE JOHNSONS - MY BACK WAS A BRIDGE FOR YOU TO CROSS��

While praising Buffett's bet on fossil fuels, Bloomberg was also reporting that climate change was now threatening as " in the country’s biggest evacuation". In another report, it worried that: The alerts kept coming. " in the past 30 days," reported NPR on July 25. That followed the news that registered on Earth. “This is not a milestone we should be celebrating,” said one climate scientist. “It’s a .” The next day, award-winning British singer Anohni released her timely new album, which . On “It Must Change”, whose video depicts Californian wildfires, she croons: “No one’s getting out of here. That’s why this is so sad.”

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5. FED CONTI - NOAMORPHA (THE NOAM CHOMSKY MUSIC PROJECT)��

The contradictions of the media - promoting fossil fuel-driven capitalism on the one hand while reporting its climate destruction on the other - are ably deconstructed by , released on July 14. A week earlier, Fed Conti released his new album, which samples the intellectual's cutting remarks over a cutting-edge blend of electronica and modern jazz. It's the 33rd album released by , which aims to amplify his message through music. "The lemmings may be going over the cliff," he says on Conti's opening track. "But they haven't fallen off yet, so of course you continue." Continuing the resistance were Just Stop Oil activists, who protested at Wimbledon on July 5. Yet, as Chomsky-citing , lemming-like Labour leader Keir Starmer replied: "I can’t wait for them to stop their antics, frankly." ����

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6. SPINIFEX GUM - GANALILI��

Amid such sentiments, it was unsurprising that, on July 26, Bloomberg reported that this year. The news came a fortnight after appropriately-named released their new album. On its title track, "Mondo Tempo", they say: “One degree worldwide, one degree worldwide... Let’s realise it’s a crime.” The album followed those by , sung in his language; , who eulogises nature; and Melbourne-based , who blast radical politics through doom metal. Days later, as after years of heavy rain, Spinifex Gum released their new album. On it, the band, made up of Aboriginal choirgirls and white indie musicians, blast Australian mining companies' destructive work. �� ��

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7. GLITORIS - GLITORIS��

As the women's soccer World Cup kicked off in Australia and New Zealand on July 20, Aboriginal sports star Adam Goodes slammed its organisers, FIFA, for their . Joining the attacks on FIFA were the players themselves, who are that equals the men's event. A week earlier, Australian feminist punks Glitoris released their stupendously strong new album, which blasts the fatal effects of such sexism on the song "Femicide". On July 19, their feminism appeared to be far more authentic than that of . The band, whose songs include , split up and deleted their social media accounts just hours after a woman said the singer of a well-known political punk band had by the throat and raping her. �� ����

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8. VOICE OF BACEPROT - RETAS��

The Women's World Cup marked the first time a Palestinian - - had refereed any World Cup match. On July 14, her fellow hijab wearers, , released their new album. In songs such as , the young trio slash at the restraints put on them in conservative West Java, Indonesia. they said. "It was really hard to just say no to our parents when they told us to get married... Heavy metal gave us the courage to say: 'No! I will play metal until I can't any more!" The album's song "[NOT] PUBLIC PROPERTY" was released as a single on International Women's Day to raise funds for victims of sexual violence. The LP followed that by , which was inspired by women protest musicians and 3rd-century Syrian queen Septimia Zenobia.

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9. WITCH - ZANGO��

Queer Australian soccer star Sam Kerr said on July 3 that she would regrettably at the Women's World Cup, after FIFA banned any LGBTQ insignia. FIFA had at least allowed Zambian star Barbra Banda to play, after she was banned in the Africa Cup of Nations for having . The move came before a new survey published on July 18 found most . Damning such bigotry are Banda's fellow Zambians WITCH, whose new album - featuring Zambian-Australian rapper Sampa The Great - on July 11. On its closing track, “Message from WITCH” they lay out their intentions with their music: “It unites beliefs, conquers xenophobia. It laughs at hate speech, ends sexism. It erases homophobia, shatters antisemitism, embraces every race.”

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10. PINK WILLIAMS - COMMIE COWBOY��

Also aiming to erase homophobia was Matty Healy, whose band,�� on July 22 after he kissed his male bassist on stage . Fighting the same fight was on his new album, released on July 14. A fortnight later, Conley's fellow queer country musician Pink Williams released his new album, Commie Cowboy, which comes packed with anti-capitalist tirades. With 1950s-style recording techniques, Williams manages to sound both timeless and topical as he takes on Donald Trump and his followers on its humorous song "Don The Con". Showing Williams may face an uphill struggle was country musician Jason Aldean. On July 24, his "anti-woke" new single,�� on the Billboard charts after for featuring the site of a racist lynching.

Video:��ANOHNI and the Johnsons - It Must Change (Official Video).��

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Mat Ward has been writing for��91������̳��since 2009. He also wrote����and��makes��political music. This year,��.

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