Dead Pioneers Release Title Track From New Album 'PO$T AMERICAN'

Denver’s Dead Pioneers have announced the April 11 release of their new album, PO$T AMERICAN, via Hassle Records. Fronted by renowned visual and performance artist Gregg Deal, the band combines a DIY ethos with a mission to champion the rights of marginalized communities, including Indigenous, Black, Brown, Asian, LGBTQ+, and workers' rights. With a North American Indigenous vocalist at its helm, the band unapologetically confronts social, political, and cultural issues—a focus central to their identity.

This ethos is at the heart of PO$T AMERICAN, written in February 2024 and recorded in July. The album forecasts the turmoil of the 2024 American election while reflecting on the fears and disillusionments of modern life. “The title PO$T AMERICAN reflects a collective disillusionment with the so-called American Dream,” explains Deal. “It critiques capitalism, colonialism, and white supremacy while imagining a path toward unity beyond those oppressive systems.”

PO$T AMERICAN balances minute-long punk explosions, impassioned explorations of modern-day America and spoken-word interludes elegantly, the shifts in form and tone not distracting from the central themes. The aural palate is broadly the same as their debut, but feels expanded, stronger somehow: drawing on the confrontational writing of Rage Against The Machine, the unapologetic voice of Chuck D and Public Enemy, the storytelling of Johnny Cash, the evolution of IDLES, and punk stalwarts including Black Flag, Rollins Band and Dead Kennedys.

Ahead of its release, Dead Pioneers have unveiled the second single from the album, the unapologetic title track, "PO$T AMERICAN" of which Deal says, "We, like many people in our communities, are incensed by the overt and jarring political and social moves of United States Politics. From the current administration to the administrations before it, there has been a trajectory in this country that has brought us to the critical moment we are all looking at. Our hope in this song is maybe, just maybe, we are saying something you feel too.” He continues, “I wrote this song on White people’s day of Independence, July 4, 2024. I wrote it sitting next to my oldest son while watching fireworks and having a discussion on what this day was supposed to mean. It went into a discussion of everything that was happening at that moment. Little did I know at the exact moment, that the relevant things would escalate, and become more stark. This was written to be scathing, honest, saying the quiet thing out loud. As we look upon the United States political landscape, this is very much how we feel."

Last year, Dead Pioneers released the LP’s first single “My Spirit Animal Ate Your Spirit Animal.” They will hit the road next month for select headline dates on the West Coast followed by shows supporting Pearl Jam in April. Following that Dead Pioneers head to the UK for a run of headline shows before the European “Reconstruction Tour” with Pennywise, Propagandhi, and Comeback Kid. Tickets are on-sale here and all dates are listed below.

How can an album sum up a point in time? Can it capture or presage the mood and state of a nation? This second album by Dead Pioneers suggests so: PO$T AMERICAN is the end of the beginning and the beginning of the end. “Currently, we are amidst the gross existence of capitalism, colonialism, white supremacy and the many oppressive forces that have come to inform everything around us,” says Deal. “The title PO$T AMERICAN informs a collective disenfranchisement and disillusionment to the so-called American dream, while moving forward with hope of a desired designation of unity outside those that would use us for their own capitalistic power grab.”

Despite it being written and recorded earlier in 2024, the album feels prescient and reflective of today’s wider (inter)national mood. “What we wrote was relevant politically and socially. We felt good about it, and moved forward in that confidence,” say the band. “It’s sad that scathing statements about fascism, white supremacy and racism in the American political landscape are somehow more relevant just because of an election, but here we are.”

Overall the resulting feeling is one of cautious optimism: “Although we didn’t expect the political relevance to become more relevant, we have no illusions to the American dream, or to where we seem to be going. But we have hope that we can get to a better place for people to have what they need.” It is an album that speaks to and for this precise time and place; that perhaps could not exist at any other time. It is an album for now.”

Dead Pioneers tour dates:

4/14 - New Frontier Lounge - Tacoma, WA

4/16 - Clock Out Lounge - Seattle, WA

4/24 - Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino - Hollywood, FL *

4/26 - Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino - Hollywood, FL *

4/29 - State Farm Arena - Atlanta, GA *

5/1 - State Farm Arena - Atlanta, GA *

5/13 - Voodoo Daddy’s - Norwich, UK

5/14 - Downstairs @ The Dome - London, UK

5/16 - Poble Español - Barcelona, ES +

5/17 - Carroponte - Milan, IT +

5/18 - Koplex - Zurich, CH +

5/20 - Media Center - Ljubljana, SI +

5/21 - Arena - Vienna, AT +

5/23 - Gaswerk - Augsburg, DE +

5/24 - Berendrecht - Booswegske, BE +

5/25 - Schlachthof - Wiesbaden, DE +

5/27 - Live Music Hall - Cologne, DE +

5/28 - Melkweg - Amsterdam, NL +

5/29 - Docks - Hamburg, DE +

5/31 - Zitadelle Spandau - Berlin, DE +

* supporting Pearl Jam 

+Reconstruction Tour with Pennywise, Propagandhi, Comeback Kid

About Dead Pioneers: 

Dead Pioneers is guitarists Josh Rivera and Abe Brennan, drummer Shane Zweygardt and bassist Lee Tesche (also in Algiers), with Gregg Deal on vocals. Their debut self-titled album was self-released until last fall when they signed to Hassle Records who re-released the LP. 

Frontman Deal is an artist and activist and a member of the Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe. Much of his work includes exhaustive critiques of American colonialism, society, politics, popular culture and history. With this work - including paintings, murals and performance art - Deal critically examines issues within Indian country such as decolonisation, stereotype and appropriation. He has exhibited his work at cultural centres nationally and internationally, including the Smithsonian Institution and the Venice Biennale. 

After living in the Washington DC area for 17 years, Deal moved his family to Colorado, coinciding with his time as Native Arts Artist-In-Residence at the Denver Art Museum. The band originated from a 2020 performance art piece titled The Punk Pan-Indian Romantic Comedy, a deeply personal one-man show that explored themes of music, personal experiences, and meaningful connections. A grant allowed Gregg Deal to expand the project, incorporating original music crafted specifically for the performance.

Dead Pioneers self-titled debut, coming in at a lithe 22 minutes with only one of the twelve tracks exceeding three minutes, is almost over before it begins, but covers a huge amount of ground in that time.

Photo credit: Daniel Ulibarri

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