ICE killed another American citizen last Saturday, so here’s a list of seven anti-ICE songs you can listen to right now.
As music journalists we often struggle with how to respond to tragedies like this one. I don’t have unreleased facts to share, or some vast network of activists to call upon. What I do have is my anger, alongside decades of practice working through difficult emotions with music. Putting this list together helped me process the state of the world; I hope it helps you, too.
Here you’ll find huge artists with career-defining tracks, such as Zach Bryan‘s “Bad News;” smaller bands that I, frankly, don’t know much about, like Bent; and political barnstormers from longtime activists such as Tom Morello and Dropkick Murphys. Update: As more artists speak out, more songs are being added to the list. The order moves from contemplative to incandescent with rage has been changed to chronology of release. If you’re looking for artists to support right now, this is a good place to start.
01. Tom Morello — “Pretend You Remember Me”
Morello has been on the right side of history since the earliest days of Rage Against the Machine. “Pretend You Remember Me” is one of his stronger solo songs, and the release raised money for Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles (CHIRLA).
02. Jesse Welles — “Join ICE”
Witty satire with a biting refrain: “If you’re lackin’ control and authority/ Come with me and hunt down minorities/ Join ICE.” Welles fights authoritarianism with humor.
03. Bent — “ICE Killer”
This ripper from Bent is heavy as fuck and deserves to boost their profile. The first vocals aren’t what you’d call clean, but it definitely gets more metal from there. The song is off their 2025 EP, Sangre por Sangre.
04. Zach Bryan — “Bad News”
An early contender for song of the year is also one of the finest tracks in Bryan’s expansive discography. “Every day on the news, someone else is shot,” he sings, “I got some bad news/ The fading of the red, white and blue.” The song comes from his great new album, With Heaven on Top.
05. Dropkick Murphys — “Citizen I.C.E.”
This reworking of their 2005 song “Citizen CIA” hits even harder than the original: “Too scared to join the military/ Too dumb to be a cop/ Citizen I.C.E.” A fun one to sing along to.
06. Bruce Springsteen — “The Streets of Minneapolis”
The Boss is not exactly subtle on “The Streets of Minneapolis,” but neither is authoritarianism. The first major release after Alex Pretti’s murder contains soaring choirs and lines commemorating Pretti and Renee Good. “We’ll remember the names of those who died/ On the streets of Minneapolis,” he sings. You better believe we will.
07. Billy Bragg — “City of Heroes”
Bragg takes a historical view of the protests, paraphrasing Martin Niemöller’s famous poem that begins “First they came for the Communists…” But in “City of Heroes” he gives those dark words a hearty Minneapolis twist, singing, “When they came for the immigrants/ I got in their face… They use tear gas and pepper spray/ Against our whistles and our phones/ But in this city of heroes/ We will protect our home.”
