Faye Webster, the War on Drugs, and David Byrne and Devo have contributed tracks to the second Noise for Now benefit compilation, which will raise money for independent abortion providers across the country via the Keep Our Clinics campaign.
The album announcement pointedly coincides with the return of abortion rights to the Supreme Court today, March 26. The court will hear arguments for a case regarding the availability and accessibility of mifepristone, an FDA-approved drug that’s frequently used in abortions. If the Court rolls back FDA regulations on the drug, it could make it difficult to access even in states where abortion remains legal.
The artists who contributed to Noise for Now Vol. 2 largely shared a mix of demos and live tracks, with a couple of covers and other rarities thrown in for good measure. Webster and the War on Drugs both contributed live tunes: The former shared a version of “Thinking About You,” a song from her latest release, Undressed at the Symphony, while the latter offered up a live version of “Victim,” originally off 2021’s I Don’t Live Here Anymore.
Courtney Barnett contributed a demo of her 2015 song, “Boxing Day Blues,” while her fellow Australian singer-songwriter Julia Jacklin covered “Dead From The Waist Down” by the Welsh rock band Catatonia. And Byrne and Devo included their collaboration “Empire,” a song that’s been unofficially floating around in various forms for years and which actually appeared on a predecessor to the first Noise for Now, the 2022 digital-only release, Good Music To Ensure Safe Abortion Access To All, that was available for only 24 hours.
Other contributors to Vol. 2 include Big Freedia, Sofia Isella, Claud, A.J. Haynes of Seratones, MC50 and Arrow De Wilde, and Becca Mancari. Noise for Now Vol. 2 will be released on June 21, around the two-year anniversary of the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. A limited edition vinyl run of the compilation is available to pre-order now.
Noise for Now Vol. 2 Track List
1. Julia Jacklin – “Dead From the Waist Down”
2. Courtney Barnett – “Boxing Day Blues”
3. Becca Mancari – “It’s Too Late”
4. The War On Drugs – “Victim”
5. MC50 ft. Arrow De Wilde – “High School”
6. AJ Haynes (of Seratones) – “Everything Is Change”
7. Claud – “Spare Tire”
8. Faye Webster – “Thinking About You”
9. SOFIA ISELLA – “Hot Gum”
10. David Byrne and Devo – “Empire”
11. Big Freedia – “Hotlatta”