''Ordinary Life'' is the fifth studio album by American
ska punk
Ska punk (also spelled ska-punk) is a fusion genre that mixes ska music and punk rock music. Ska punk tends to feature brass instruments, especially Horn (instrument), horns such as trumpets, trombones and woodwind instruments like saxophones ...
band
We Are the Union
We Are the Union is an American ska punk band from Ann Arbor, Michigan, formed in 2005. The band is now based out of California. The band has had many lineup changes since its inception, with vocalist/guitarist Reade Wolcott and bassist Brandon ...
, released on June 4, 2021, on DIY record label Bad Time Records.
The album announcement came alongside a new single, "Morbid Obsessions", as well as lead singer Reade Wolcott coming out as a trans woman.
Background
We Are the Union formed in 2005 in
Ann Arbor, Michigan, and released three albums before going on a two-year hiatus from 2013 to 2015.
In 2018, they released ''Self Care'', with the album's themes being about
depression and
existential crises
Existential crises are Inner conflict, inner conflicts characterized by the impression that Meaning of life, life lacks meaning and confusion about one's Identity (social science), personal identity. They are accompanied by anxiety and Stress (bi ...
. Lead singer Reade Wolcott said “At that point, my focus was very pro-normalizing talking about
mental health
Mental health is often mistakenly equated with the absence of mental illness. However, mental health refers to a person's overall emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It influences how individuals think, feel, and behave, and how t ...
", as well as wanting to push conversations about mental health and writing songs about complex emotions.
During a tour with
Leftöver Crack
Leftöver Crack is an American punk rock band formed in 1998, following the breakup of Choking Victim. The band is currently signed to Tankcrimes for CD releases, and Alternative Tentacles for vinyl releases. Leftöver Crack spans several diffe ...
in 2018, Wolcott fell asleep scrolling through a trans meme
subreddit
Reddit ( ) is an American Proprietary software, proprietary social news news aggregator, aggregation and Internet forum, forum Social media, social media platform. Registered users (commonly referred to as "redditors") submit content to the ...
, to which she woke up the next day realizing she was a trans woman, to which she recalled “I remember feeling terrified, beyond my ability to reason, the biggest thing for me was the fear for my ability to live the life I want to.”
Wolcott officially came out on April 23, 2021.
That same day, she made the announcement of the album, as well as the release of a single "Morbid Obsessions".
Track listing
Personnel
* Reade Wolcott - lead vocals, guitar
* Brandon Benson - bass guitar, backing vocals
* Ricky Weber - lead guitar
*
Jer Hunter - trombone, backing vocals
* Brent Friedman - drums
References
{{Authority control
2021 albums