Hometown: Trenton, NJ
Album: Unite Resist, out March 25 via Working Class Productions
If you love anti-establishment punk that prioritizes excellent songwriting and emotional lyrics over anything else (i.e., Anti-Flag or Bouncing Souls), Doc Rotten just might be for you. Side effects include humming along to every song and sleepwalking to your nearest protest sight. Consult a physician if you don’t want to be a better person after ingesting Unite Resist. Do not take the album if you adore people in the color orange or if the letter “Q” means anything to you besides being part of the alphabet.
Drummer AJ Martinez speaks to the active ingredients that make the good Doc go ‘round:
“We love high energy songs that are fun to sing along to. And when they also have a message behind them that’s either bringing awareness to things that are wrong in society, or just positivity, it makes those fun songs all the better. Also, we like the fun fuck around songs that mean nothing. Fun is the operative word. Unite Resist is about sticking together in opposition to any and all oppressors. This pretty much means anyone affiliated with any and all governments at any level. Historically, it always turns bad when a small group of people controls a large group of people. Most of this record was written before 2020; however, its message is more important now in 2022 than 2019. That’s because our problems didn’t start in a vacuum.”
He continues:
“As much as we love saying ‘fuck the government,’ we’re also regular dudes with a long list of our own character defects and interesting observations, so we have some personal stories in our songs on this record too. The best way to unite with the people around you is to first identify with them on an emotional level. It’s important to talk about regular life stuff too.”
Watch the video for “United Resist” here:
For more from Doc Rotten, check out their official website.
Photo courtesy of Jaka Curlic
