LISTEN: The Slants Share “What Will People Say”

Asian-American dance-rock group’s final album, The Band Plays On, out on October 20th

October 5, 2023October 5, 2023 Ron Hart 0 Comments Asian-American, Bao Vo, Dance Rock, Joe X. Jiang, Mikara, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Simon Tam, The Band Plays On, The Slants, U.S. Supreme Court

Portland, OR’s The Slants first made national headlines in 2017 when the Asian-American dance-rock outfit went to the U.S. Supreme Court in order to trademark their name, a term initially used to disparage those in the AAPI community.

In an unanimous ruling, 8-0, the Court decided that a federal law prohibiting trademark names that disparage others was unconstitutional because “speech may not be banned on the grounds that it expresses ideas that offend.”

“Dance-rock band frontman Simon Tam sought to trademark The Slants,” opined the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg at the time. “His aim was to reappropriate a term long used to disparage a minority group and to render the term a badge of pride. All of us agreed.”

Six years later, The Slants are releasing their final album as a group, The Band Plays On, this coming October 20th.

The fourteen track collection of the band’s melodic, highly-danceable synth-pop is unlike prior Slants albums in that it features a guest performer on each track, including a guest vocalist on almost every song. These guests are prominent, as well as up-and-coming, artists from the Asian American community, most notably California-based electro artist Mikara who appears on the album’s socially conscious first single “What Will People Say,” which Rock & Roll Globe is honored to premiere today.

The Slants The Band Played On, self-released 2023

“I love this track because it turns the notion of assumptions on their head,” Tam explains of the song. “It’s too easy to let cynicism rule the world, but I firmly believe that we should empower voices to be heard – you’ll never know the kind of wisdom or insights that we can gain from people who have something to say.”

“Simon really wanted a song with the lyrics ‘What will people say?’ that built on the often negative way naysayers would turn down ideas by saying that phrase, being too concerned with other people’s perceptions rather than doing something meaningful or empowering,” adds bandmate Joe X. Jiang. “The song touches on how we are quick to judge, quick to fear, but rarely paying attention to what is being said, especially when the marginalized are the ones trying to speak up.”

For the group’s newest member Bao Vo, it’s Mikara’s presence on the track that really coalesces all of the elements to fruition.

“Mikara’s vocal performance was the best part of producing this track,” Vo proclaims. “She effortlessly gave us so much great quality material to work with. Sometimes there are dozens of vocal layers stacked together, and they are all sung so consistently that they align tightly without any digital manipulation. All this while remaining emotive and human. It’s a cool contrast to the primitive-sounding drum machine and vintage synth sounds.”

For The Slants, who also had a rock opera about their Supreme Court battle performed earlier this year at the Catherine B. Berges Theatre at the Center of Creative Arts in St. Louis, MO, wrapping up their career as a band with an album as powerful and expressive as The Band Plays On was indeed the right choice. Especially in the communal way by which this group has transformed the term by which they’re named into an umbrella of inclusivity.

“The Band Plays On is a logical evolution for The Slants,” explains Jiang of the new album. “There’s a mixture of old and new songs, many reflective of Simon’s and my own personal journeys into music and activism, but presented through collaborations with extremely talented Asian American singers, musicians and producers from across the country. When the band retired from touring in 2019, our focus was on our foundation and supporting / connecting marginalized artists. It made perfect sense to do the same with this album.”