Premiere: The Eradicats get angry about ‘Performative Outrage’

The Eradicats play MiniBar on Friday, May 1, with the Toasters and the Uncouth. Details on that show here.

Poppy and punky, the Eradicats were formed because frontman Josh Thomas’ partner, Kristi, thought he needed a side project which was a way to step away from the darker subject matter of RxGhost. Songs like “Serious Medical Condition,” about needing dental work, or “89 Batman,” consisting entirely of lines from Tim Burton’s movie, are par for the course.

That said, we live in a world that is a nightmare dumpster fire, and even the least serious band’s levity takes a hit now and then. Thus, we have the latest from the Eradicats, “Performative Outrage,” which the band describes as “Tighter, faster, snarling at keyboard warriors, cable news addicts, and self-styled tough guys who insist American cities are war zones they’ve never actually visited.”

We’re premiering it below before it hits streaming services tomorrow, and if you really like it, the band will have it available as a lathe-cut 7-inch with their last single, “I Ate a Sandwich,” on the flipside at their show this Friday, May 1, when they and the Uncouth open for the Two Tone army that is NYC ska legends the Toasters at MiniBar.

They’ll also be filming a video for the song at the show, so if you’d like to have Todd Zimmer capture your enthusiasm, make sure to get there early. In the meantime, check out the song below and read what the Eradicats have to say about it.

“This one’s more political than we usually get. But it’s hard not to be political right now.”

We wrote “Performative Outrage” about a very specific kind of person: the guy who’s convinced every American city is a hellscape he’d never dare set foot in, who tells you the subway is a rolling crime scene even though he hasn’t ridden one in twenty years, who builds his entire identity around being afraid of things he’s never actually encountered. The professional victim. The keyboard warrior. The guy whose bravery is all performance and whose outrage is all brand.”

Performative Outrage

And right now, that same fear is being pointed at trans people, kids mostly, by an administration that’s decided scapegoating a tiny, vulnerable population is a winning political move. Most of the loudest voices have probably never met a trans person. They’re just scared. Scared of the subway, scared of cities, scared of drag queens, scared of anyone whose existence they don’t understand. And they’ve figured out you can turn that fear into a career if you shout loud enough.

The song asks a simple question: have you ever actually sat with why you’re so afraid? Is self-reflection really that scary? It’s safe to ride the subway. It’s safe to have trans neighbors. It’s safe to let people exist. We’re just weird and funny. You’re going to be okay.”

The Eradicats play MiniBar on Friday, May 1, with the Toasters and the Uncouth. Details on that show here.