Greystones singer-songwriter Garrett Anthony Rice returns with 'The Coastal Walls (The Shame Of Everyone)', a stark and confrontational new single that directly addresses the legacy of the transatlantic slave trade and its continuing social consequences.
Continuing a run of impressive offerings lately, the track draws from blues traditions associated with the American South, using stripped-back instrumentation and a deliberately unsettling atmosphere to reflect on centuries of exploitation, violence and inherited trauma. Recorded across Ireland and the UK, the song gradually builds toward a chaotic, nightmarish outro intended to evoke the psychological weight of slavery’s legacy rather than simply recount its history.
Arriving ahead of the United States’ 250th anniversary commemorations later this year, the release positions itself as both protest and reflection, with the frontman using the track to call for wider acknowledgement of the nations and systems that profited from slavery. Musically, 'The Coastal Walls (The Shame Of Everyone)' avoids polish in favour of discomfort, using rough textures and stark imagery to underline its message throughout.
Have a listen to 'The Coastal Walls (The Shame Of Everyone)' in the player below.