"I think the biggest problem in our country, the problem that all of our other issues stem from, is a lack of empathy," says Sharptooth's powerhouse vocalist Lauren Kashan. It's not unusual for her to sing — and scream — about heavy topics, from personal trauma to marginalized voices in the heavy-music scene. On Sharptooth's new song "Evolution," she follows suit, tackling the aforementioned culture of apathy and calling for a change: "Think outside yourself!" goes the cut's urgent rallying cry. Today (July 9th), the Baltimore-based metalcore rabble-rousers have teamed with Revolver to premiere the poignant, breakdown-heavy anthem, along with its ferocious music video. For added political outrage, both the song and the clip feature guest shots from Justin Sane of Anti-Flag.
"I wrote 'Evolution' in response to the apathy I was seeing every day in the world around me," Kashan continues. "Whether it had to do with global warming, racism, sexism, or poverty, I've witnessed a phenomenon that I can only call a 'not my problem' mentality — people being unwilling to look at their own behavior simply because something doesn't directly affect them.
"And now, in the days of COVID, and the (grossly overdue) worldwide conversations about systemic racism and police brutality, I think the message of this song is more important than ever. Yes, you should work to follow CDC guidelines, not only because you could get COVID, but mainly because someone else could catch it from you who's consequences might be far more dire. Yes, you should explain systemic racism to your white family, because they will be able to hear that message from you easier than they can hear it from someone who doesn't look like them, and just 'canceling' your racist uncle doesn't actually help black people, because they'll still have to deal with him even when you decided you don't want to. Yes, you should be examining your lifestyle and making changes so as to decrease your carbon footprint.
"There are so many day-to-day things we can be doing that extend beyond us as individuals and have global impact," Kashan concludes. "I truly believe that if everyone just made a daily, concerted effort to cultivate empathy, to 'think outside yourself' and put in the work to listen to and understand other people's experiences and evaluate their own personal impact, the world would be a much happier, healthier, more productive, and overall better place."
"Evolution" appears on the quintet's 10-track sophomore LP, Transitional Forms, which drops tomorrow (July 10th) via Pure Noise Records. You can pick up a copy here.
