The best music, by its nature, is always anti-fascist.
From Woody Guthrie's "All You Fascists Bound To Lose" to Dylan's "Masters of War" to Black Sabbath's "War Pigs" to Mutabaruka's "White Man Country" to Bikini Kill's "George Bush is a Pig" to Public Enemy's "Black Steel in the Hour of Chaos" to "Walking in the Snow" by Run The Jewelz, and 10,000 tracks in between.
As fascists are ratcheting up their tyranny and terror tactics around the country, today's artists of integrity are aiming at ICE and U.S. despots with their primary weapons: guitars, pens, and DAWs.
While we expect to hear many more ditties against dictatorship over the next year(s), we wanted to pay tribute today to the songs that have already reached us. The ones that embolden us to stand up against authoritarianism and to open our ears—no matter how badly we want to shut our eyes.
13) “Bootlicker”
The Artist: Attendant, a London-based band dealing in satirical lyrics and resistance. Songwriter Andy Walker tells L.A. TACO, “We make protest music. Not the shouty kind, but the satirical kind. We uphold the third of Anat Shenker-Osorio's three Rs for confronting authoritarianism: resistance, refusal, and ridicule.” Bootlicker was written about authoritarianism in the U.S. in 2020, but its message about a person willing to do the evil bidding of someone who would gladly throw them under the bus is sadly more relevant than ever. The band also has a sonic soap opera called “State of Disarray.”
The Stinging Line: “My allegiance lies with you alone, A dominion forged of hate, It attracts me like a pheromone, Does it work both ways? I don't think so.”
The Sound: It starts with a twangy kind of Meat Puppets-ish strumming before launching into what sounds like a lost Nirvana tune, all hard-hitting drums and bending riffs. It’s a fucking rocker.
The Impact: I mean, we’re still talking about it five years after it came out, right?
12) "Bad News"
The Artist: Zach Bryan, the Grammy-winning, best-selling, Japan-and-Oklahoma-raised country singer and U.S. Navy veteran behind hits like "Something In The Orange," "Burn, Burn, Burn," and "I Remember Everything."
The Stinging Line: "I heard the cops came, cocky motherfuckers, ain't they?, And ICE is gonna come bust down your door, try to build a house no one builds no more," is the one lyric that addresses what many are calling Bryan's "anti-ICE" song.
The Sound: A brooding, building song that sees Zach plaintively describing the ruin of his United States in a gritty, Springsteen-with-a-twang baritone, backed by a pounding kick-drum and trumpet blasts, with some sporadic guitars sliding, plucking, surging, and cresting among the spacious ether.
The Impact: The song has a few million streams and we're happy anytime an artist can infiltrate country music-loving middle and red America with this kind of message. And you better believe we love hearing MAGA get butt-hurt in the face of free and truthful speech.
Still, Bryan insists he's more of a centrist than a revolutionary, and has expressed regret and embarrassment over interpretations of the song. He called himself a "libertarian" on Joe Rogan's podcast and wrote of "Bad News" on Instagram Stories, "When you hear the rest of the song, you will understand the full context that hits on both sides of the aisle.” So maybe not the soundtrack to a revolution so much as a eulogy for one man's true-blue nostalgia.
11) "Pretend You Remember Me"
The Artist: Tom Morello, the politically outspoken guitar whiz and Harvard political science honors grad behind Rage Against the Machine and Audioslave. He penned this anti-ICE anthem shortly after the government staged its attacks on L.A. in Summer 2025. He also created a "Fuck ICE" playlist, which you can find on Spotify, which was recently running ICE recruitment ads. Because even an artist who sells "Destroy American Fascism" shirts finds it impossible to steer completely clear of the Babylon shitstem.
The Stinging Line: "A ransom note found in the shelter, She slips her bonds in the favela, Headed north, no one could tell her, Her life meant nothin' at all."
The Sound: Cheese-metal guitar and drums kick off this plaintive track, before Tom's smoky voice intones the tale of a young woman fleeing poverty in the South to make her way north, unaware how despised she'll be, over a fairly generic 4/4 drum beat. A little after the song's midpoint, Morello goes into a solo, sliding-on-the-strings in the way you've come to expect. It's more of a power ballad than "Sleep Now in the Fire," but a good opening salvo in modern music's defense of human decency in the new era of ICE aggression. It's more than Benson Boone is doing.
The Impact: Morello's video for the tune kicks off with a message from formerly incarcerated Native American activist Leonard Peltier, and the song was released in partnership with CHIRLA (the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles), which Morello held a fundraiser for in L.A. in June with B-Real, Pussy Riot, K.Flay, and San Diego's Neighborhood Kids. Rage's Zach De La Rocha was meanwhile helping raise funds for CHIRLA with Born x Raised.
10) "How Much Did You Get For Your Soul?"
The Artist: Lucinda Williams, storied country music veteran and triple Grammy winner, who wrote an entire album of protest songs called "World’s Gone Wrong," released in January. Here, she confronts everyone who would compromise their morals for money. It could be about someone who joined ICE or the many politicians caving to an extreme right-wing agenda.
The Stinging Line: “The Devil is a master salesman, You weren't so hard to convince, He closed the deal as only he can, And made you feel like a crown prince.”
The Sound: It’s kind of an upbeat groove with Lucinda’s voice, gravelly from “years of abuse,” straightforwardly gives it to the man.
The Impact: Williams’ new album got a lot of coverage and good reviews and is setting out on tour, a nice turnaround for the artist after she suffered a stroke in 2020.
9) “The Streets of Minneapolis”
The Artist: Bruce Springsteen. Working-class New Jersey cast in amber. Bard of the Shore and the Backstreets. The high-energy, live legend who continually casts his ink to bring awareness to social issues, from the alienation of Vietnam veterans in “Born in the U.S.A.” to the AIDS crisis in” Streets of Philadelphia” to migration and poverty in the “The Ghost of Tom Joad.” The Boss! You may have heard of him before.
The Stinging Line: "Just don't believe your eyes, It's our blood and bones, And these whistles and phones, Against Miller and Noem's dirty lies.”
The Sound: Starting with a little low-key strumming, Bruce breaks in quickly with his characteristic, Southern-twanged, sounding pretty fired up as he spits fire ‘pon Trump and his cronies. Soon, the song picks up, swelling into a chorus backed by a group of singers, who include The Boss’ wife. Towards the end, Bruce bends his harmonica for a little bridge, then the singers do a little “ooooo” thing and it gets to the best part: When a chant of “ICE Out Now!”fills the song then pulses steadily in the background before it’s the only sound you hear. Overall, it’s a pretty classic Bruce song and a model protest song that doesn’t try to reinvent the genre, letting the sharp sentiments within do most of the heavy lifting.
The Impact: The video is pure fuel for our fire, showing scenes of heavily armed government thugs as they terrorize the snowy streets of the Twin Cities, being total fucking dicks to the brave people standing up for their city. Photos of Alex Pretti and Renee Good at makeshift memorials are also shown between shots of Bruce recording the song. The song quickly hit #1 in digital sales and even drew a response from some douche at DHS, who said, “We eagerly await Mr. Springsteen’s songs dedicated to the thousands of American citizens killed by criminal illegal aliens.” Despite, you know, that whole narrative being bullshit.
8) "Fucking Bitch"
The Artist: Erin Frisby, a D.C.-based singer-songwriter who cites both punk, 60s and 70s songwriters, and Appalachian and Ozark traditions as her influences. Frisby also leads the Queer trio Ammonite. In this tune, she sings a tribute to Renee Good, who was called a “fucking bitch” while being shot in the face by an ICE agent. She uses the term to speak for all the women and girls who are subjected to this kind of talk intended to put them down.
The Stinging Line: “I'm a fucking bitch, I wasn't built for obedience, My fire burns mysterious, Steal it and it will extinguish, Turn your back on it and, It will rage, Out of control, out of control, out of control.”
The Sound: Whispery and poignant, set to the strumming of an acoustic guitar, and full of restrained anger despite its sweet and haunting vocals.
The Impact: Two weeks after Good’s killing, of which Frisby tells Rock Mommy, “I saw something so familiar in male rage being provoked by a queer couple, by a butch woman,” Alex Pretti was killed by federal agents, leading Frisby to pen the protest song “Storm of the Century.”
7) “Olé Fuck Trump”
The Artist: We’re not sure who put this one together, but it’s great in every way, an international stadium anthem inspired by the famous “Olé, Olé, Olé" sport chant based on the Belgian number "Anderlecht Champion." With the simple chorus, “Olé, Olé, Olé Fuck Trump.” The artist also has a song called “ICE Man,” which is a politically potent SOCA/cheer jam of sorts.
The Stinging Line: “Hey Nazis, fuck you! Hey MAGA, fuck you! Hey Proud Boys, fuck you!”
The Sound: Simple and direct, the song goes from a proud anthem to a reggaeton number about halfway through, as the lyrics repeat along those same lines, offering a hale and hearty “fuck you” to a long list of people who suck.
The Impact: The song has over 28,000 views on YouTube but is yet to ring from the soccer stadiums and NASCAR racetracks . . . yet. But we have hope for wrestling arenas.
6) "Chinga La Migra"
The Artist: Zada Mendoza, a singer and violinist from East L.A. who's mission is to "make music [that] reflects the experience of the Mexican American Chicana in current times," according to a Facebook page. She is also a music teacher with LAUSD.
The Stinging Line: A very catchy, harmonious repetition of "Chinga La Migra," a phrase as classic as a sticker of Calvin peeing on a hatchback. "Pinche migra . . . violan derechos y dignidad, secuestran nuestros familias, ya basta la raza luchar," she continues (fucking Immigration . . . they violate rights and dignity, they kidnap our families, enough already, the raza fights), plainly laying out L.A.'s stance towards the invasion of masked government thugs.
The Sound: Zada kicks off the track, which was released last August, with hearty calls of "Chales con la migra, la Raza no se va a quedar callada" ("hell no with la migra, the raza won't stay quiet") and "Fuck ICE," which bleeds into a slinky cumbia jam with dope-ass slide guitar, weaving violin, and a steady beat one could set a march to.
The Impact: Zada's "Chinga La Migra" doesn't appear to have a ton of views on YouTube and the artist has just a small following on social media, but paired with a strong music video that shows L.A. Latinos in resistance, it may be the very singable, still defiant chorus a nation could rally behind.
5) “ICED OUT”
The Artist: We Might Die, a Vegas-based, underground punk trio led by a teenage girl named Liv on vocals and bass, and her girl-dad, Chance, on drums. On ICED Out, they assume the voices of Border Patrol/ICE agents, nailing their privilege and fascism with lines like, “I’ll take your life cuz mine matters more, Because I’m white, I’ve got the right.”
The Stinging Line: “I’m just doing my job!,” yelled successively by each member of the band, echoing the Nuremberg Defense used by Nazi apparatchiks on trial after World War II who frequently claimed they were “just following orders” in oppressing, terrorizing, and executing the human targets of their government.
The Sound: ICED Out jumps right into a driving beat and grinding guitar, breaking into a little Greg Ginnish/”Rise Above”-style breakdown at the 17 second mark. Liv’s vocals come in direct and without great affect at first, mirroring the robotic stance of the kind of over-militarized twat who signs up for ICE, before she breaks into some excellent screams. In the middle, the song gets all sludgy stoner metal before rocketing back into the cycle. Speaking of cycles, the band’s latest song is called “Shit Cycle,” which is awesome.
The Impact: The band played the kickoff show for Punk Rock Bowling last year and put out their first album last summer. On its site, the band writes, “The shows we are most proud of would be the two shows in June where the community raised over $4,500 for our local undocumented relief funds to help people in our community affected by the ICE raids.”
4) “Citizen I.C.E.”
The Artist: The Dropkick Murphys, Boston’s pro-labor, working class heroes who are always ready to champion and defend progressive policies. Leader Ken Casey has been active in anti-ICE protests, even when it’s wicked cold. Yeah, he’s a real pissah.
The Stinging Line: “Calling all Americans of below-average intelligence, Power-hungry scumbags, apply today.” and that’s just the intro.
The Sound: Fast, shouty, and sometimes chant-y, like we like our East Coast hardcore to sound. The track is actually a reworking of their 2005 song Citizen C.I.A. and is on their new album, New England Forever,” which came out on St. Patricks’ Day.
The Impact: At the end of the song’s video, Casey stands with a bunch of White guys who look scary, but apparently they’re all cool as he reminds us, “While a lot of the laaaaager punk bands in the world aren’t speaking up and are choosing to stay silent, punk rock is actually meeting the moment,” before shouting out the Aggrolites, Haywire, Slugger, and Juicebox.
3) “Brown Representation”
The Artist: Highland Park-raised rapper and Satori Mob creator, Reverie Love, with Hawthorne’s rap sibling duo Coyote and beat-maker Louden, standing up for Mexican pride, issuing threats to the power structure, and basically reminding the world why Trump and his people (and Democrats, too) are P.O.S.
The Stinging Line: “They don't wanna see me pop my collar like a perc, Matter of fact, I'ma pop it like they pop Charlie Kirk, Most of us came here to work, And they treat us like we dirt, No justice, no peace, I'm leaving faces on a shirt.”
The Sound: It’s got one of those simple, ill, horror movie beats, on which Reverie opens fire, plainly speaking facts like she’s in your comments section, “Dearest Mexicans for Trump, you won’t ever be white. Bought the bullshit propaganda and now they got you like ‘psyche.’” She slips into a Spanish verse, switches up her flow, and shouts out México, Ecuador, Colombia, El Salvador before Coyote lays down their own grimy verses.
The Impact: The anti-Trump anthem reminds us of the necessity for great artists to address the world around them and is a welcome shot of lyrical and rhythmic complexity detailing all the bullshit going on. Love has a big show coming to San Diego on May 30 and Coyote are playing the Echo on 4/20.
2) "Join ICE"
The Artist: Jesse Welles, an Arkansas-raised singer-songwriter and former Dead Indian and Cosmic-American singer, who one day just appeared on our social medias feeds like the second coming of Woody Guthire.
The Stinging Line: "If you're lackin' control and authority, come with me and hunt down minorities, Join ICE." Or maybe, "I got picked on at school, I never felt that cool, there's a hole in my soul that just a-rages. All the ladies turned me down, and I felt like a clown, but will you look at me now, I'm puttin' folks in cages." To be real, they're all damn good.
The Sound: Welles may as well have "This Machine Kills Fascists" on his guitar for his fiery, folksy way with words that skewers the evil forces in this country using the direct and poetic clarity of Guthrie or Pete Seeger, with Dylan-ish vocals and satire over the simple strumming of an acoustic guitar and a wailing harmonica.
The Impact: Welles is nominated for four Grammy Awards this year and recently played "Join Ice" on "The Late Show With Stephen Colbert," as well as being honored with the Spirit of Americana/Free Speech Award at the 2025 Americana Music Honors & Awards, where he played his song "War Isn't Murder," which calls out Netanyahu and Jared Kushner by name. With lyrics like "War isn't murder, it's an old desert faith, it's a nation-state sanctioned, righteous hate," we're all ears for anything this dude puts out in defiance of fascism.
1) "La Cumbia De La Migra"
The Artist: Los Jornaleros Del Norte, a veteran band that is not only named for day laborers, but is part of the National Day Laborer Organizing Network (NDLON) and was founded as a the result of a immigration raid on a mobile health clinic in the City of Industry. The Southern Californian group speaks for day laborers and immigrants alike through corridos like "Que No Pare La Lucha," Serenata a un Indocumentado," "Donald Trump," and "Deportacion Express."
The Stinging Line: "Que le digo a la migra cuando la mirar pasa? Le digo, 'chinga tu madre y dejame trabajar," (what do you say to la migra when you see it pass? Say 'fuck your mother and let me work), in a hooky, nearly sunny tone that will leave in your head.
The Sound: A bouncing, upbeat cumbia with popping horns, its joyous sound paired to a video with scenes of fierce dancing in public, abductees screaming in terror, and the hard work done by immigrants and Latinos that upholds our entire society and came to the rescue of L.A.'s fire victims.
The Impact: The song, which was released on September 15, hasn't been given a spotlight from Colbert or a major music awards show just yet, but with the band's rich history of defiance, activism, and speaking out for besieged immigrants, it's an anthem we feel should be embraced nationally and beyond for its strength in speaking truth to power, a hallmark of Los Jornaleros.
HONORABLE MENTIONS
Everybody probably has their favorite anti-ICE songs by now, past and present. We'd love to know your picks in the comments.
And because we know there's a lot of artists putting it on the line to speak out for what's right, we wanted to put you on to some great tunes that may help get your spirit up when you're facing these tough times alone and need hope.
Slick Sickly's "Frostbite:" A hard rock track from a quartet with lyrics like, "Little man behind a mask with tear gas and your crew, but little did he know we all came to fight, we'll melt your fucking fire, and we'll melt your fucking ice."
Fishbone's "Racist Piece of Shit:" Our local ska heroes put together a great video rightly demonizing the Trump administration through newsxpaper clippings, backed with one the outfit's classic frenzied beats full of Angelo Moore on theramin, various horns, and Christopher Dowd's unapologetic barbs like, "You're not a proud boy, you're just a fuck boy, drinking the Kool-Aid of a mad orange king. Another Kid Rock, with all the hate talk, murder, sickness, global crisis, coup d'état, vanilla ISIS."
ICE-T's "ICE Killer:" During a performance following the ICE killing of Renee Good with his metal band Body Count, the L.A. O.G. changed the lyrics to their infamous anthem "Cop Killer" to "ICE Killer," starting things off with a giant "fuck 'you to the 'em all" as he got the crowd to put their middle fingers up in the sky.
Manic Hispanic's "The INS Took My Novia Away:" Now here's an oldie but goodie, riffing on the Ramones' "The KKK Took My Baby Away."
The Briggs' "Control Alt-Right Delete:" "Fuck these Alt-Right pricks! Who the fuck do they think they are? We can't claim this is our land. When we ourselves are immigrants." Everybody now!
Guitar Jack Wango's "We Got Your Back:" "Immigration raids. Hell no, that ain't cool." Tell it like it is, Jack.
The Muslim's "Punch a Nazi:" Or the Muslim's "Fuck These Fucking Fascists." Or the Muslim's "Hands Up Don't Shoot." Or the Muslims' . . .
The Bloody Pickups' "Find the Fascist:" Infiltrate the legislate, fulfill your dream of white ethnostate. You say you hope, for the day of the rope, you nazi fucks, can fucking choke."
Bent's "ICE Killer:" We're pretty sure they're talking about that ICE here. And not, like, crystal meth in Hawaii.
