In what seems like a match made in heaven, Florida’s Home Is Where and Texas’ Record Setter have announced a split release, dissection lesson (out April 15 via Father/Daughter and Topshelf). Our first preview of the record, which will feature two tracks by Home Is Where on its first side and two by Record Setter on the flipside, comes in the form of “plain english” and “names,” both searing, cathartic rages against transphobia from each band.
“[We] wanted to make something unabashedly trans,” Home is Where’s Brandon MacDonald explained of the record’s genesis in a statement. “Two trans bands. Songs about trans issues. Cover by a trans artist. We wanted to make something for the girls to pop off to.” As 2021 marked the year with the highest (reported) number of trans women murdered to date, both tracks unfortunately feel timely, serving as both a memorial for those we’ve lost, as well as a hand extended to those who continue to struggle under a system that does not protect them.
Record Setter’s “plain english” tackles frontwoman Judy Mitchell’s experience as a trans woman, burning slowly against her harsh vocal detailing her attempts to be patient with herself as she simultaneously navigates mental health issues and a non-linear transition process. In the same vein, Home Is Where’s “names” extends support to the trans community and demands better from the rest of the world. “No more victims / No more missing girls,” MacDonald screams, thrashing against heavy guitars that scream right along with the lyrics.
On Home Is Where’s Bandcamp, they acknowledged ‘60s soul pioneer Jackie Shane and political ambient/glitch musician Terre Thaemlitz, both trans women, and their influence on the record, closing with the final message, “We don’t die. We transcend. This is literal.” The last sentence also appears in the lyrics for “names,” serving as a thesis statement for the record as much as a powerful warning to those who enact cruelty to listen.
Check out “plain english” and “names” below, and keep scrolling for dissection lesson album details and both Home Is Where and Record Setter’s upcoming tour dates. You can preorder dissection lesson here.
dissection lesson Tracklist:
01. Home is Where – names
02. Home is Where – creationish (ft. Soul Glo)
03. Record Setter – a world without you
04. Record Setter – plain english
dissection lesson Art:
Home Is Where Tour Dates:
May
07 – Somerville, MA @ Crystal Ballroom at Somerville Theatre
09 – New York, NY @ Irving Plaza
10 – Baltimore, MD @ Baltimore Soundstage
11 – Charlotte, NC @ The Underground
12 – Atlanta, GA @ Buckhead Theatre
14 – New Orleans, LA @ The Hangar
15 – Houston, TX @ White Oak Music Hall
17 – San Antonio, TX @ Vibes Event Center
18 – Roswell, NM @ The Liberty
Record Setter Tour Dates:
April
01 – Oklahoma City, OK @ The Speakeasy
02 – Wichita, KS @ Chainlink Park
03 – Tulsa, OK @ Foolish Things
