David J was in Asheville, North Carolina for a gig when a protest erupted right under his hotel window. “I was woken up early in the morning with the sound of it,” the L.A.-based musician says on a recent video call. “I just went down to the street and joined in.”
The event provided a spark of inspiration for J, who was already troubled by what he had been seeing in the United States. “Just being amongst that community there, just really good decent people speaking out against this authoritarian horror that’s being visited upon us, that was the galvanizing moment,” he says. Lyrics for what would become “ICE to Cold to Thaw,” the recently released single from David J and the Resistance, began to take shape.
“ICE to Cold to Thaw” makes lyrical references to the myriad injustices brought about by the Trump administration’s anti-immigrant campaign. Disappearances. Family separation. Surveillance. Authoritarian violence. It’s all in there, brought together by the rousing chorus, “Stop me if you’ve lived this one/Lived this one before/It’s when the goons are at your door.”
A gritty rock song augmented by a psychedelic organ and ‘90s hip-hop-influenced beat, the song’s amalgamation of sonic references brings home the point that this is history repeating. The B-side, “ICE to Cold to Thaw (Sad Jazz Version),” solidifies this point, particularly if the song gives you Casablanca flashbacks.
Released in late October as a limited edition 7” single, “ICE Too Cold to Thaw” features sleeve art from Shepard Fairey and Tomo77. A bundle that includes a print of their art is available on the Obey Giant website. The standalone vinyl and digital versions are sold through the Bandcamp page of Mexicali-based record label No Devotion. A portion of proceeds benefit USC Gould School of Law Immigration Clinic.
This isn’t the first protest song from J, well known as bassist for Bauhaus and Love and Rockets. Back in the 1980s, he released the solo single “I Can’t Shake This Shadow of Fear,” a stirring post-punk track about nuclear proliferation. “I saw today that Trump now wants to start nuclear testing again,” J remarks in our interview. I had heard the same thing as well while watching the news that morning and wondered if we had slipped back into the 1980s. But, as J sings in “ICE Too Cold to Thaw,” it’s “history repeating, deja bleu.”
More recently, J released the song “Thoughts and Prayers” in response the Parkland, Florida mass shooting. He recorded that on his phone and received such a supportive response that it ultimately was released as a Record Store Day single.
“These protest songs, I’m seized by them,” says J. “It’s so arresting and so urgent when I feel the need to express my feelings about something that’s going on in the world.”
After the Asheville gig, J went to stay with his friend, the singer-songwriter Renata Youngblood. “I wrote [“ICE Too Cold to Thaw”] on her porch over the next couple of days,” he recalls. First came the lyrics, then the music. J recorded a demo on his phone “We played it in her car as we were driving around and she gave it a thumbs up.”
Back in Los Angeles, J assembled the Resistance and headed into the studio. Jason Roberts of Spoon, who plays on J’s forthcoming solo album, stepped in on guitar. Ulises Bella of Ozomatli came in on sax. “We’ve always talked about collaborating but it’s never come together for one reason or another,” says J. “This was the perfect opportunity and the perfect vehicle for it because he’s very politically-motivated.” Other contributors include Rob Kaechele, aka DJ K (beats), Slim Zwerling (trumpet), Sheila Ellis (backing vocals) and Tony Green (stand up bass, engineer).
The song’s accompanying video, directed and edited by artist Tony D, references Ambrocio “Enrique” Lozano, a paleta vendor whose abduction and detention in June rallied residents in the Culver City neighborhood where he worked. In October, Lozano was released after several months of detention and has been granted a green card.
The B-side, “ICE Too Cold to Thaw (Sad Jazz Version),” came about during J’s first live performance of the song. He played it at Zebulon in Los Angeles shortly after the trip to Asheville and before the song was recorded. For the show, J was joined by Jon Bernstein, who plays piano and organ on the single. “Because it’s just piano, when we were rehearsing it, we went into this slow take on it and it felt right,” he explains. J refers to the “Sad Jazz Version” as “the soul of the song revealed.”
So far, response to “ICE Too Cold to Thaw” has been positive, but, J acknowledges, “I’m aware that I’m operating in a bubble mainly made up of those who are likeminded.” He notes that he has heard from pals about comments that were less kind on sites related to his other bands. “I don’t think they’re fans of the band. I think that they just troll around, but they’re alerted to the fact that there’s another ‘libtard’ out there,” he says. “That was a term that was thrown my way a few times, in response to this single. What can you do? If you’re a musician, like myself, you make music and sometimes you talk about these things in that context.”
On Thursday, November 6, J will be performing as part of Independent Project Records 45th anniversary at Gold-Diggers in Los Angeles. In addition to his own, solo set, he is set to play bass with the Shiva Burlesque Band and DJ. For those who aren’t able to attend in person, there will be a live stream of the event. See Independent Project Records’ website for more information and tickets.
Get “ICE Too Cold to Thaw” by David J and the Resistance.
Liz O. is an L.A.-based writer and DJ. Read her recently published work and check out her upcoming gigs or listen to the latest Beatique Mix. Follow on Instagram or Bluesky for more updates.
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