Tom Morello has never exactly trafficked in subtlety. So when the Rage Against the Machine guitarist titles a new song “Adjourn It,” recruits System of a Down’s Serj Tankian to howl about fascism and threads footage from a blacklisted 1954 labor rights film through the video, you can guess where things are headed.
Released today (May 29), “Adjourn It” is the second single from Morello’s forthcoming solo album on Mom + Pop and arrives hours after the announcement of his politically driven Power to the People festival on Oct. 3 outside Washington, D.C. The track features Tankian alongside Morello’s 15-year-old son Roman, whose rapidly emerging guitar chops are becoming a recurring part of his father’s musical orbit.
Produced by Zakk Cervini (Bring Me the Horizon, Yungblud/Aerosmith) the song blends crunching riffs with Tankian’s unmistakably operatic panic-siren delivery. “At this historical juncture every act of art is an act of resistance,” Morello says, describing the song as “a clarion call for justice in unjust times. Inspired by the persecution of immigrants across the land and the heroic resistance to the rising tide of fascism, it’s just about damn time to rock for freedom, justice and equality.”
Adds Tankian, “‘Adjourn It’ is a protest anthem against the continued barbarism leveled by ICE in the U.S., separating families, racial profiling and in some cases killing. As a democracy, we should be offended that our own government has done this to our brothers and sisters trying to provide a decent lifestyle for their families. There is smart immigration and naturalization policy, then there is this. Most of these cases would be adjourned by judges if given due legal process.”
Morello has spent the past month performing with Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, and in January he and the Boss traveled to Minnesota to protest ICE raids and the murders of Alex Pretti and Renee Good. More recently, Morello joined demonstrations outside Manhattan’s immigration court at 26 Federal Plaza alongside the organization Hands Off NYC, protesting ICE policies and detentions.
All of that context informs “Adjourn It,” whose accompanying video incorporates clips from Salt of the Earth, the once-blacklisted 1954 film centered on Mexican-American miners battling labor exploitation and systemic racism. The movie itself was famously created by blacklisted Hollywood filmmakers and featured real miners in its cast.
The as-yet-untitled new album is the follow-up to Morello’s twin 2021 releases The Axis Undeground: Fire and The Axis Underground: Flood.
