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King Khan & The Shrines releasing new 7" (listen), touring, playing Northside Fest

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King Khan & The Shrines have a new limited-edition 7″ coming out June 3 via Merge, featuring two new songs: “Children of the World” b/w “Gone Are the Times.” The songs were inspired by the story of The Invaders, a militant civil rights group from Memphis, Tennessee. An eponymous documentary about the group will be released this spring and the songs will feature in the film. Says King Khan:

The fact that it has taken so long for The Invaders’ tale to be told just goes to show how the powers that be are as evil and crooked as they were 50 years ago. We must not forget that laws were born from the people’s resistance, to protect them from arbitrary power. The time has come to reclaim our laws and re-emancipate the people.

I wrote “Children of the World” as a reaction to the epidemic of police brutality that has infected America for far too long. Sadly, the greatest victims out of all this are the children. I cannot believe my eyes and ears when I watch this apathy growing out of control and literally choking the breath out of its citizens. People in America are denied the most simple, basic human rights. This return to the Middle Ages needs to stop.

“Gone Are the Times” was written to show how the struggle of the oppressed has not changed in the past century. When will the poor and impoverished stop being abused over and over again? I hope I will see that change happen within my lifetime.

The struggle is the same, so I chose message music as my weapon. May it soothe your ears as much as light a fire under the collective ass that is pulling the strings.

All power to the people!

You can stream “Children of the World” below.

King Khan & The Shrines will be on tour this summer, stopping in Brooklyn for the Northside Festival on June 11 at Brooklyn Bowl with Giorgio Murderer and Las Rosas. Tickets are on sale and you can also use a Northside badge to get in (entry based on capacity).

All dates are listed below.

King Khan & The Shrines – 2016 Tour Dates
06.06. Nashville, TN • Mercy Lounge
07.06. Atlanta, GA • The Earl
08.06. Raleigh, NC • Kings
09.06. Washington, DC • Black Cat
10.06. Philadelphia, PA • PA Underground Arts
11.06. Brooklyn, NY • Northside Festival
13.06. Cambridge, MA • Sinclair
14.06. Montreal, QC • La Sala Rossa
16.06. Toronto, ON • Legendary Horse Tavern
17.06. Cleveland, OH • Beachland Ballroom
18.06. Chicago, IL • Green Music Fest
19.06. Chicago, IL • Subterranean
20.06. Minneapolis, MN • Turf Club
23.06. Seattle, WA • Neumos
24.06. Portland, OR • Dante’s
26.06. Oakland, CA • Burger Boogaloo
27.06. Los Angeles, CA • Echoplex
28.06. Phoenix, AZ • Crescent
30.06. Austin, TX • Mohawk
01.07. San Antonio, TX • Paper Tiger
02.07. Houston, TX • White Oak Music Hall