OpCritical
This interview with OpCritical delves into the ideas behind their thought-provoking single “Not My America,” exploring its message, songwriting approach, visual storytelling, and reflections on today’s social and political landscape.
1. “Not My America” carries a strong message—what inspired you to write this song?
America today is not the America I grew up in. Now the lessons we were taught at school, at home, and in church are now rejected by those in the Republican Party led by Donald Trump. We wanted to point that out since so many people appear to be numb to the cruelty and divisions.
2. The lyrics use repetition in a powerful way—how did that idea develop during the writing process?
Yes, anaphora is a powerful literary device that is not used often these days, but we have it in several songs. It is important because the repetition is what stays with the listener. And here, we contrast what we learned as children with the opposite of what we are seeing leaders and followers of one party doing.
3. The track balances emotion and critique—how do you approach blending music with social commentary?
We have written many songs about the current state of the world, and the main thing we want to do is to get people’s attention so they get off the couch and do something to protect themselves and their future. Freedom takes work to protect it, but too many people are sleepwalking into disaster. We are all very seasoned musicians and know what works.
4. The video has a retro, high-action concept—what was the vision behind its direction?
Yes, the Road Rash meme was intentional because it feels like the current president is careening all over the place, and we are all holding on for dear life. Cruelty, it seems, is intentional so we wanted to portray that in the video.
5. What kind of reaction or reflection do you hope listeners take away from this release?
Two reactions: People love the song and the video. However, YouTube has throttled its exposure by refusing to promote it with ads or playlists. So it is hovering around 100K views while our other videos are around a million. When we asked why YouTube throttled it, we were told that it has a Trump air freshener hanging from the rearview mirror. Wow.
6. Will this single shape the direction of your upcoming music or future projects?
We have written dozens of songs about the current dangerous state of the USA and the world. They are all unique in their own way, as you will see. We want to release a new song/video every two or three weeks this year, and our amazing team is going full bore.