Tom Morello + Bloody Beetroots Drop Guest-Filled Song ‘Radium Girls,’ Announce New EP
Rage Against the Machine's Tom Morello is popping up all over the place these days and his most recent project is a collaborative new EP with electro rocker The Bloody Beetroots. The musicians are teaming up for a new EP called The Catastrophists, and they've welcomed a few more friends to guest on the new song "Radium Girls."
The track features guest turns from Pussy Riot's Nadya Tolokonnikova, The Interrupters' Aimee Interrupter, White Lung's Mish Way and The Last Internationale's Delila Paz, making it a song that grabs your attention as the guests take turns belting over the undeniable edgy beats and Morello's blistering guitar work.
In announcing the track, Bloody Beetroots offered, "This song is what happens when two punks go off to battle; each with their weapon of choice…"
Elaborating on the song's origins and the overall collaboration, Morello commented, "Four extraordinary women and the ferocious production of The Bloody Beetroots breathe life into the true story of the Radium Girls, young Illinois factory workers who were the victims of one of the most heinous crimes in U.S. industrial history."
The guitarist recalls, "I spent every summer as a kid near Ottawa, Illinois where these doomed girls used deadly radium laced paint to make glow in the dark watches. They were encouraged to lick the paintbrushes to a point to increase productivity and profit and in the end their bones literally fell apart from cancer and they were so toxic they had to be buried in lead lined coffins. The resulting court cases and publicity led to historic nationwide labor protection legislation. Every year I place flowers at the small monument to these quiet heroes and this song is dedicated to their memory."
The song is currently available via the platform of your choosing here, while you can pre-save The Catastrophists EP, which is due June 18, at this location.
"Radium Girls" is the second song to come from the new EP, following the recently released "Weather Strike" featuring a collaboration with Pussy Riot. The EP also featured a guest turn by Ana Tijoux on the track "Lightning Over Mexico."
Morello, who serves as an executive producer on the EP, also directed the "Radium Girls" video. Get a closer look below.
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