When The HIRS Collective calls, the punk community responds. Members of Soul Glo, My Chemical Romance, Melt-Banana, Converge, Screaming Females, Thursday and others contribute to the anonymously membered band's new album. And like a bloody action movie counterprogrammed against family-friendly Christmas Day schlock, We're Still Here releases digitally on Dec. 25.
The title track does what The HIRS Collective does best: slam together several metal styles like sour candy — riffs and blast beats blaze by at hyperspeed, but with a moshable groove. But more importantly, the track honors the band's foremost purpose: not only the survival, but the extremely loud joy and visibility of trans and queer outcasts. "This collective, a version of therapy," the vocalist screams, "for ourselves and anyone who feels the need to scream their lungs out for one more day of living." Joining them again after providing spoken word for 2018's Friends. Lovers. Favorites., Garbage's Shirley Manson sings, "We're still here / We are still here," over a slow and sludgy riff that becomes a metallic mantra of defiance.
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