Nada Surf

Matthew Caws: "I've written a few political songs over the years but most of them have remained in a desk drawer unfinished – they're hard to write and can feel futile. But when I read about the separation of families at the US-Mexico border, I felt compelled to try again. Like most people learning of the tragic situation there, I was outraged and upset. After calling the offices of my state representatives and leaving messages urging them to take some kind of action, I wished there was something more I could do. A thought occurred to me: what if I could speak directly to a congressperson or senator through a song? I knew that anyone on Capitol Hill actually hearing it was a moonshot, but I also knew that music can travel in unexpected ways and that it was at least worth trying."

Caws has posted more about the process of writing the song, the experience of touring the Capitol building with former House Speaker John Boehner's Deputy Chief of Staff, his "long American roots" (as he refers to in the song) and his thoughts on living through these tumultuous times on the band's social media accounts, which you can read here.