La Neve (Downtown Boys) Unleashes New Single 'Rough Music'

La Neve, the dance-punk project of Rhode Island-based musician, organizer and historian Joey La Neve DeFrancesco, is set to release their gripping new History Solved EP this Friday April 15. A special 200-copy limited edition vinyl pressing of the History Solved EP has just been announced with the pre-order also going up on April 15.

It will be released as a set of two 7" records on June 7 via Radical Empathy Records. The collection has received acclaim spanning FADER, Stereogum, THEM., MTV NewNowNext, Pitchfork, NPR, FLOOD and much more. Propulsive percussion drives "Rough Music," the final album cut unleashed today.

"Rough Music" is the most minimal of the EPs singles. A lone bass guitar and kick drum guide the verses, before launching into fully orchestrated dance punk on the choruses. The track's lyrics center on its namesake "Rough Music," a term that refers to the folk tradition of holding parades that would mock powerful people--such as bosses or political leaders--with abrasive sound.

Combining themes of power, labor, sex and possibility with elements of blistering punk, dance, and house music, La Neve conjures a unique space where sound, anger, and joy hold equal importance. The project-produced by Marco Buccelli (Giovanni Truppi, Xenia Rubinos, Lady Lamb) and mastered by Heba Kadry (Animal Collective, Big Thief, Courtney Barnett)-sees Karna Ray join on drums, adding a commanding new percussive energy to the songs.

Outside of La Neve, DeFrancesco has been a long time songwriter and guitarist with punk band Downtown Boys. DeFrancesco has also long worked as a labor organizer, most recently co-founding the organization Union of Musicians and Allied Workers (UMAW) which, among other efforts, has led a worldwide effort to demand better pay from streaming companies. DeFrancesco's writings on labor, history, and Rhode Island have appeared in Jacobin, Newport History, In These Times, Art Forum, Uprise RI, Providence Journal, and elsewhere.

Watch the new lyric video here:

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