Out 5 May via NYC’s Worry Bead Records, True Names is a powerful compilation of unreleased b-sides, demos, and live tracks from some of the brightest lights in US indie – all raising urgent funds for the Trans Youth Emergency Project.
This defiant DIY effort features contributions from Squirrel Flower, Remember Sports, 2nd Grade, Pink Navel, and 22° Halo, who leads the release with their gorgeous slowcore single Reward – a lo-fi lullaby reminiscent of early Low and Duster, dripping in dreamy melancholy.
The compilation’s title is a nod to Ursula K. Le Guin’s Earthsea series, where a character’s “true name” holds power, magic, and identity. It’s a fitting metaphor for an album championing the right of trans youth to live openly and safely, in a climate where that’s being cruelly and systematically attacked.
The Trans Youth Emergency Project provides emergency grants and logistical support to help trans families travel for gender-affirming care – a necessity that’s become devastatingly out of reach in many US states.
Curated by Matt O’Connor (Tuxis Giant) and Jenny Ruenes of Worry Bead Records – a proudly DIY label based in Queens, NY – True Names is a testament to what happens when a community says: enough. We will not let this happen quietly.
An essential release for anyone who believes music should stand for something.
True Names is out 5 May via Worry Bead Records.
Stream lead single Reward by 22° Halo and pre-order the album on Bandcamp.
All proceeds go to the Trans Youth Emergency Project.
