Heist, a prog-punk power trio from Cincinnati, Ohio, is led by the pyrotechnic guitar playing of Michael Ragan and backed by the rhythm section of Taylor Thodiyil and Michael Clouse. Formed in 2020, their debut Heist EP was released in 2022.

Their songwriting is driven by a deep fury at the state of the world, respect for the lives this country has torn from them, and the belief that a better way forward is possible. That message burns in every note of the band’s new single “Occupation.”

“When we were just starting Heist, during the 2020 George Floyd protests, we saw our friends and peers bound up overnight by the Cincinnati police, without medical supervision, simply for peacefully assembling,” Clouse recalls. “The city was forced to pay an $8.1 million settlement for claims of illegal arrests, brutality, and poor detention conditions, but included no admission of wrongdoing.

“Today, there is still a pervasive national attitude that ‘might makes right’ for badges who operate without jurisdiction. Uniformed, masked thugs are given the benefit of the doubt, while the citizens who are gunned down are presumed guilty until proven innocent.”

Listen to the song on digital streaming platforms now.

Heist are playing March 9 at the 5th annual Burritofest at The Comet (a local festival of some small renown that Clouse helped cofound) in Northside, Cincinnati.

Photo courtesy of Michael Clouse.