I’m watching the Wanderer video for their track “Marionette” right now, and I’m thinking about what it felt like to be a puppet. Long before the pandemic, Sean and I began to disconnect ourselves from the system. We embraced the struggle of being artists and entrepreneurs. We refused to bring the corporate propaganda machines into our home. We began to watch what we watched, and how it affected our mental health. We cut alcohol out of our lives. Each of these choices felt like cutting a marionette string until we woke up one day in a frenzied, mad world and realized we were able to walk free of it, our limbs no longer moving whichever way the system wanted them to move. Instead, we’ve got clear minds and motivation to create a space free of the trappings of racism, sexism, capitalism, exceptionalism, hierarchy, and brutality disguised as tradition. The puppetmaster has many tools to keep you tethered to the existence he wants for you because it keeps you safely dull, distracted, and desperate. Look for ways to free yourself, and listen to Wanderer while you’re at it! Their debut LP Liberation From A Brutalist Existence comes out June 18th via Entelodon Records, on cassette via Bad Mouth Recordings, and digitally through the band — pre-order it here. Right now, enjoy this excellent rager of a song below…
This song is a microcosm of what Wanderer is as a band, and that’s why it’s the first song on the record. It’s got speed, agility, dark-but-relatable lyrics, and a crushing breakdown. Sanjeev Mishra, the guest vocalist on this track, adds a unique element to the song and the change from Dan’s vocals to Sanjeev’s and back really makes that part pop so much and makes it feel amazing to play. This song hits hard and doesn’t let up until the end; a perfect opener to the record.
– Brent Ericson, guitarist
