Michelle Shiers on September 4th, 2014

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New York trio The Last Internationale was one of the small-stage highlights at last year’s Sunset Strip Music Festival – the band had been spending some time in 2013 hanging with Tom Morello leading up the recent release of their blues-infused, politically charged debut album “We Will Reign” on Epic Records. The time in L.A. found singer/bassist Delila Paz and guitarist Edgey Pires working with former Rage Against The Machine drummer Brad Wilk, and together they recorded an album of folk-punk rock ’n’ roll with sharp licks and sharp-tongued political motifs. With songs like “Life Liberty, and the Pursuit of Indian Blood,” “Killing Fields” and “Battleground,” the trio set itself apart as artists unafraid to espouse strong social convictions. In an era where good ol’ protest songs are scarce on the music landscape, the Last Internationale have pushed through the mob, making themselves heard with aggressive live performances and an album that growls as it balances political and personal themes. A couple tracks burn slowly – the acoustic “Baby It’s You” is a love song without the bite and sneer of their more energetic numbers but still retains a fiery earnestness that permeates throughout their sound courtesy of Paz’s short, edgy vibrato. Paz and Pires wear their snarling blues-folk-rock influences on their sleeves (Woodie Guthrie, Pete Seeger, Howlin’ Wolf) and with the addition of Wilk’s crashing leftist fury, the Last Internationale are sure to ignite a collective fist-pump.  Tomorrow they kick off their North American tour in Las Vegas, and in November they will tour abroad supporting Robert Plant.

||| Live: The Last Internationale play the Sunset Strip Music Festival on Sept. 20.

||| Also: After the jump, check out their cover of Woody Guthrie’s “Deportees”:

Photo by Jared Sagal