Do you think there’s no good protest music these days? So did I, until I started looking for it. Every month, I listen to it all, then select the best that relates to that month’s political news. Here’s the round-up for July 2025.
1. PUBLIC ENEMY - BLACK SKY OVER THE PROJECTS: APARTMENT 2025
At the start of July, Microsoft became the latest company sacking thousands of staff to replace them with artificial intelligence. Less than a week later, hip-hop heavyweights Public Enemy released their latest staggeringly strong album, which lays into AI layoffs. "AI running shit," they rap on its opening track, "human beings kicked, outta their jobs, now you really sick." Ten days later, country pop star Sheryl Crow released a protest song against AI on the same day that Amazon carried out a mass termination of employees to fund artificial intelligence. On July 22, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres warned that AI's huge power usage was "not sustainable — unless we make it so". It should run on 100% renewable energy by 2030, he said. A week later, Australian unions demanded protection against AI job losses, saying workers should accept AI training only if their jobs were guaranteed. LISTEN>>>
2. DOWNUPRIGHT - RADICAL HONESTY
The world's richest person, Elon Musk, spent years warning of the dangers of AI and even started non-profit OpenAI to try to regulate it. Instead, OpenAI split with Musk, became for-profit and created ChatGPT. Musk then went on to start a rival for-profit AI firm, xAI. On July 14, he announced that its "anti-woke" chatbot, Grok, which had already hit headlines for calling itself Hitler and calling for another genocide, now came with its own pornographic AI "companions", or anime strippers. The same day, xAI won a $US200 million US Defence Department contract. Four days later, experimental electronic artist Downupright released their new album, which jabs a sonic cattle prod at Musk and his electric car maker, Tesla. "Fuck Bezos, fuck Musk," it seethes. "Fuck Zuckerberg, fuck Trump. Remember what was, take back what they stole from us. So now it’s elbows up, out of luck, draw a dick on a Cybertruck." LISTEN>>>
3. FATHER FURY - THE RECKONING
Joining that resistance was the new album from trans poet Kae Tempest, released on July 4. On it, they blast Musk's plans to terraform Mars using nuclear weapons with the words: "I don’t want millionaires to colonise Mars. It’d be nice to address the mess we made here before jetting off to ruin the stars." The same day, hardcore punk Father Fury released his new album, which also targets Musk. "Streets are lined with pup tent shelters while Elon Goebbells steals your money away," he sings on "Wake Up The Dead", before slamming US deportations on the song "Letter from an El Salvador Supermax". Also damning those policies was hugely popular Mexican musician Natalia Lafourcade. As she talked about her new album and US tour on July 21, she noted that one of her songs was being sung at Los Angeles' pro-immigrant protests. “Music brings people together,” she said. “It breaks down walls." LISTEN>>>
4. DROPKICK MURPHYS - FOR THE PEOPLE
The world's most-streamed pop star, Puerto Rican musician Bad Bunny, joined that chorus of musicians pointedly releasing music on US Independence Day, with a pro-immigrant video on July 4. The same day, radical US folk-punks Dropkick Murphys released their 13th album, For The People, one day after US President Donald Trump's "big, beautiful bill" shifted more wealth from the poor to the ultra-wealthy. “They’ve become so good at this game that they’ve now got 50% of regular people openly supporting the billionaires and what they do,” said the band's frontperson, Ken Casey, in discussing the album's relevance to the bill. Also on July 4, viral US protest singer Jesse Welles released his latest album, which satirises the supposedly benevolent rich. "I'm gonna be a billionaire with a big foundation," he sings on "Philanthropist". "We used to rule in shadows, but I'd come right out and I'd rule the nation." LISTEN>>>
5. CLEO REED - CUNTRY
Spoofing such exploitation is the innovative new LP from self-described "Black, queer" musician Cleo Reed, released on July 17. “This album is a 'state of the cuntry', if you will," they said. "It is a folk rap album that tells stories of American labour, empirical agenda, and intends to hold space for the working class to understand the ways in which we have been exploited or have participated in the exploitation of others.” Los Angeles pop star Fiona Grey takes a similar tack on a single from her new album, released on July 18. "‘Rat On A Wheel’ is my anti-burnout anthem," she said. "A glittery middle finger to the chaos of capitalism. I wrote it inspired by the realities of the world we live in: billionaires dodging taxes, rent rising faster than pay cheques, and cocktails somehow costing more than minimum wage. It’s for anyone who’s ever felt stuck in the system and forced to smile through it.” LISTEN>>>
6. LIZ STRINGER - THE SECOND HIGH
The global scourge of rent rising faster than pay cheques was on full display in Gadigal Land/Sydney on July 5, as activists protested against the demolition of public housing in Glebe. Days later, Naarm/Melbourne musician Liz Stringer announced a national tour "in support of homeless and struggling Australians". The tour was inspired by her new LP's song "To Survive", which documents the real-life story of a worker at Wombat Housing Support Services who survived on the streets. “As an artist who's toured all corners of Australia for many years now, the growing wealth disparity and impact of the housing crisis in this country has never been more obvious to me,” said Stringer. “Housing is a human right and yet, because of years of policy decisions and a lack of forward thinking, an increasing number of Australians are either already homeless or experiencing chronic housing insecurity." LISTEN>>>
7. DEAN WAREHAM - THAT'S THE PRICE OF LOVING ME
As Israel continued to drive Palestinians not just from their homes, but their homeland throughout July, even right-wing media began to express outrage. They were perhaps fearful that only those on the left would become what Galaxie 500 singer Dean Wareham calls "yesterday's heroes". That is, those who condemned genocide as it was actually happening, rather than later. "Bombs and bullshit fill the air," he sings on his new solo album's track "Yesterday's Hero". "All our marches got nowhere. What they want you to be: Yesterday’s hero." Discussing its "bullshit" line with socialist magazine Jacobin on July 21, he said: "I’m writing obliquely about politicians who talk about peaceful solutions while funding war." On the LP's track "Bourgeois Manqué", he defends pro-Palestinian student encampments. “Forty thousand dead," he sings, "but the students are unruly, so they’re suspending kids instead.” LISTEN>>>
8. DAVID ROVICS - IN OUR DREAMS
Prolific pro-Palestine protest singer David Rovics released his latest album to streaming services on July 4. On its track "This Is What Genocide Looks Like" he sings: "Someday we can be sure we’ll recall this holocaust too, in a museum to remember the people of Gaza, killed by an army of Jews." In his accompanying podcast about the album, he addressed criticism of that "army of Jews" lyric, saying he is Jewish, so he qualifies to hold an Israeli passport and fight in its army. Days later, Rovics performed at a protest in Canberra, where a fellow Jew opposed to the war on Gaza burnt their Israeli passport as he sang. The protest came as Australia's supposedly progressive Labor government joined 27 countries in condemning Israel's starvation of Palestinians and its assassination of those seeking food. But Australia stopped short of recognising the Palestinian state or cutting off arms exports to Israel. LISTEN>>>
9. MATRIARCH - FEE FI FO FEMME
Mark Latham, a former leader of the supposedly progressive Labor party who was once tipped to be Australia's next prime minister, was accused by his former partner on July 15 of a “sustained pattern” of abuse including defecating on her before sex. He denied the allegations, but admitted taking photos of women in parliament without their consent and sending them to his partner with derogatory remarks. Days earlier, Canberra feminist punks Matriarch released their new EP, which hits back at such men. On "Prosecuted", they sneer: "Don't wear a short skirt. Button up the new shirt. Never walk alone at night. Lock the house good and tight. Don't leave your drink alone. Endless safety tips. How about just one rule - off the land, it's old school - one for the fellas to do? Women's bodies are private property. Women's bodies are private property. Trespassers will be, should be, prosecuted. Prosecuted!" LISTEN>>>
10. VARIOUS ARTISTS - LEK MAK: A FOOTPRINT FROM BOURGAINVILLE
That same supposedly progressive Labor party admitted on July 25 that it should have acted "months ago" to avert South Australia's climate change-induced algal bloom that is killing off its marine life. The same day, northern Irish dance music duo Bicep released their new album about global warming, recorded with Indigenous artists amid the Arctic's melting ice. A week earlier, Australian record label Wantok Music released a compilation album of Bougainville musicians addressing "climate resilience" as such island nations face rising seas. Both albums came as climate change-induced floods killed 135 in Texas and 30 in China, followed by searing heat that threatened the power grids and health of nearly half the United States. But there was hope. On July 23, the International Court of Justice ruled that countries hit by climate change could sue their fossil fuel-producing neighbours for reparations. LISTEN>>>
[Mat Ward has been writing for Green Left since 2009. He also wrote the book Real Talk: Aboriginal Rappers Talk About Their Music And Country and makes political music. This month, Mat Ward released his new album, In Our Blood.]
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Read about more political albums.
Stream our new “Best protest songs of 2025” playlist on Spotify. This replaces the previous “Political albums” playlist, that was getting too big at more than 700 albums.