NOFX Decry Mass Shootings on New Song ‘Fish in a Gun Barrel’
Punk icons NOFX are plotting the follow-up to 2016's First Ditch Effort, releasing the new song "Fish in a Gun Barrel." The track decries the outbreak of mass shootings in America and all the proceeds will benefit the Moms Demand Action group, which seeks to curb gun violence.
NOFX's crude humor and sense of timing has often worked against them, whether it's (regrettably) joking about the tragic mass shooting in Las Vegas while playing in Vegas or releasing a song about Stephen Hawking two days after his death.
These incidents presumably prompted frontman Fat Mike to preface the song by explaining that it was written in June of 2016. He shows the time and date stamps on the demo track file on his computer in the video below, emphasizing that this was not written to capitalize on the more recent shootings in Dayton, Ohio and El Paso, Texas.
Regarding "Fish in a Gun Barrel," it's another foray into reggae/ska, something NOFX have dabbled with throughout their career with resounding success. The brighter up-picked guitar passages are countered by grim, confrontational lyrics where the ideas of mental illness, "happy pill" prescriptions and out of context propaganda intersect with gun violence.
"Only a lunatic would sell a lunatic a gun," sings Fat Mike on the closing line.
To purchase "Fish in a Gun Barrel," head to the NOFX Bandcamp page. Again, all the proceeds from the track will benefit Moms Demand Action. To learn more about the cause, head here.
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