Jeff Rosenstock surprised fans with the release of his incredible fourth album, NO DREAM, which came without warning in May and has already received countless mid-year list accolades. Jeff Rosenstock has shared an amazing music video for “Scram!,” directed by Teenage Stepdad.

Here’s Jeff’s inspiration behind the song below: 

“I started writing ‘Scram!’ after being inspired by the kids from Parkland High standing up to the behemoth that is the gun lobby. The last four years (and let’s be honest, my entire life) have felt like we are up against an unconquerable force of evil that thrives on violence and inequality. It was a rare bright spot to see thousands of people say ‘hey, we’re gonna be able to vote in the next election, and we are going to vote you the fuck out.’ It was also inspired by the other side – the politicians and lobbyists who promote regressive policies that perpetuate the consolidation of power to the super rich at the expensive of everyone else’s lives – having the audacity to demand “civility” from students who have watched their classmates get murdered and are tired of going to school in fear.

“Fuck that. Capitalism is the root of greed is the root of violence. You have bought your control, but more and more people are starting to see through that. I wanted to write a song that felt like a ‘Fuck you, your days are numbered’ to the powers that be.”

And read more below from Teenage Stepdad on the video:
“When I first listened to the tune, I strongly identified with the lyrics, the idea being that the very worst people are the ones telling you the loudest what to do and how to think. A lot of what I do as an artist is take all the commercial and advertising imagery and marketing techniques I’ve been forced to consume since I was a kid, and repackage them into something that subverts the bullshit worldview they represent. So part of this video is that, flipping through the channels and seeing old promo formats used to sell soda and cars and vacations turned into something else. The rest of the video is inspired by this moment, by the millions of people no longer asking for change but demanding it.”

In addition to the “Scram!” video release, Jeff has a busy week ahead. He’ll be interviewed live on Twitch via The Needle Drop next week on July 29th. 

Newly settled in Los Angeles after a lifetime on the East Coast (namely Brooklyn by way of Long Island), Rosenstock recorded NO DREAM with Jack Shirley (Deafheaven, Hard Girls, Joyce Manor) at Oakland’s Atomic Garden, and even took on mixing duties alongside Shirley for the first time. Opting to stay off the computer “even more than usual” and record to tape with outboard gear, the result is a lived-in sound that gives each song its own individual voice and organic energy. The record comes at a time of unparalleled chaos and confusion, division and despair, the depths of which would have been impossible to predict when much of it was being written over the course of the last few years. And yet the record feels prescient, unexpectedly and uniquely suited for this moment. 

NO DREAM is out now on Polyvinyl Record Co., and is available for free download via Quote Unquote Records, with all donations going to Food Not Bombs. Purchase, download and stream NO DREAM now HERE. Pre-order on vinyl, out August 21st, HERE.