The last time we heard new music from Boston-based Kal Marks was back in 2013, when they released their full-length Life Is Murder, a record that teetered on the edge of existential dread and absolute, self-assured conviction. For anyone who loved Life Is Murder, Kal Marks’ new song off their forthcoming EP, Just A Lonely Fart, boasts a similar aesthetic. While “Zimmerman” does make reference to George Zimmerman, it is also a song that attempts to breach larger themes of injustice. “Zimmerman” was written shortly after the trial’s conclusion in the summer of 2013, and guitarist and lead singer Carl Shane commented:

“It seemed really unfair, and unjustified. Also I was following stories about the stop and frisk policies with NYPD. I couldn’t help but to be stuck in this pessimistic mindset that this country has really lost any moral compass. I’m still stuck with this train of thought, ’cause look at the headlines everyday.”

On “Zimmerman,” Shane’s voice is knotted and brambly, lending a kind of tongue-in-cheek contortion to the song’s bleak lyrical themes. The Boston music scene has been consistently labeled as “slacker-rock,” wrongly suggesting a kind of smarmy and resigned attitude that is imperceptible in the work of Kal Marks, especially on “Zimmerman.” Listen.

Just A Lonely Fart is out 12/2 on Exploding In Sound. Pre-order it here.

10/20 Lowell, MA @ Wilder Zangcraft w/ Ex-Breathers & Sneeze
10/21 Beverly, MA @ Spotlight Tavern w/ My Dad
10/22 Allston, MA @ O’Brien’s w/ Yautja, My Dad, Lady Bones & Lair
10/24 Brooklyn, NY @ Trash Bar — EIS CMJ SHOW
10/25 Brooklyn, NY @ Silent Barn — EIS unofficial CMJ show + BDAY PARTY
11/04 New Brunswick, NJ @ Paradise Lost w/ Lady Bones, Sweet Brains & Thee Creeps
11/09 Washington, DC @ The Dougout w/ Mattress Financial, Lady Bones & Flamers
11/16 Danbury, CT @ Heirloom Arts Theatre w/ Lady Bones, Pupppy & Exploding Head
12/13 Brooklyn, NY @ Silent Barn w/ Lady Bones, Bluffing & Big Neck Police

Just A Lonely Fart will be out 12/2 via Midnight Werewolf and Exploding in Sound.