Much has been said about rap’s growing consciousness, but punk’s politically charged edge has been sharpening again in recent years too. Rhode Island punks Downtown Boys steadily come with anthems that will have thoughts rattling around your head as your body thrashes to the beat. They describe themselves as a “bilingual political dance sax punk party” and that’s exactly what they brought to Democracy Now! After a performance of their song “Wave Of History,” lead vocalist Victoria Ruiz and guitarist Joey DeFrancesco sat down with Amy Goodman to detail the messages in their latest offering Full Communism and speak on the importance of artists wanting to affect social change. Ruiz had this to say:

There’s no way to really think about our current moment without contextualizing it in historical background, and in many ways that’s what can make what we’re doing a true threat, and make it an opportunity to really change what’s happening.

The group touched on an array of topics from Black Lives Matter to hotel workers’ wages and expounded on how medical insurance companies came out of America’s slave trade. The segment is a truly intelligent and provocative conversation from a band that can play their ass off. Watch below.

Full Communism is out now via Don Giovanni.