THIS IS A CHARITY SINGLE!! All funds generated from the purchase of this song/album will be donated to The Trevor Project in support of LGBTQ+ youth. The minimum requested donation is $2.50. If for some reason you just want Friday I'm In Love, that track is set to $0, so go ahead.

Violins for Violence takes a hard look at the world we live in, and finds it lacking. It's not just frustrating to be denied human rights based on who you love or how you identify- it's a type of violence, and one that many feel uncomfortable talking about, let alone resisting. In this chiptune-inspired ska-punk track, nonbinary bandleader Atlas O'Clare and trans artist Yours Sincerely fight back against the complicity.

Bursting with energy and emotion, Violins for Violence will revive your spirit and give you the strength to break the silence and stand up for what's right. Though it explores the negative side of being queer, there is also a unified strength to be found- we're not going to let them divide us. We're not going to sell each other out. We're going to stand together. If we can teach one person that it's ok to be themselves- that they're not alone- we'll have done our job. If we can teach that to a thousand people, even better.

It has never been easy to be LGBTQ+ in America. Decades of violence, both direct and indirect, have shaped the way we live our lives. When one looks at all the beauty that has come from the queer community, it is hard to imagine why so many want us gone, and why so many more are silent in the face of escalating tension.

Violins for Violence may be an odd name for a song, but in context it reveals a resonant message. "There's no music in a world of silence; they don't sing, they use violins for violence." Is a world where we don't talk about identity-based dangers any safer than the one we live in today? No, it's just more tolerable- for a select few.

The song is a bit of a slow burn, using the first verse to build tension as more instruments introduce themselves- the ska guitar, the synth bass, the crushed drums, the energetic arpeggiators. When the chorus hits, the triumphant horns bring the song to life, flying in the face of the hypothetical world without music. A ripping guitar solo sees the song out, as the pieces fade away- not initially to silence, but instead in a way that you with the feeling that it could have gone on forever... and the wish that it would have.