The new single is about “memories of the first trans woman I ever met,” said Alynda Segarr
Hurray for the Riff Raff released single “Hawkmoon,” the last preview of their forthcoming album The Past Is Still Alive, due Feb 23.
The new track is described as a “rebellious road song and stirring remembrance of the first trans woman that Alynda Segarra ever met,” according to a press release, and arrives alongside by a music video complete with bank robberies, middle-of-nowhere diner, motel room, and outlaws on the run in New Mexico.
“‘Hawkmoon’ is a song about running away — a trans song, and memories of the first trans woman I ever met. Miss Jonathan was a German rapper, poet and train-riding crusty homeless kid who loved to wear the skimpiest outfits she could get away with and was a surprisingly great shoplifter,” said Segarra in a statement. “We became best friends for a winter, before I learned to play music in New Orleans, and I would ride shotgun in her beat up car and search for abandoned houses to sleep in.”
The singer said that meeting Miss Jonathan changed her life and “opened doors in my mind about gender, though it would take me many, many years to feel free enough to expand within myself.” She added, “I have always wanted to honor her, since I have not seen her in decades and wonder if she is even alive. She suffered a lot of violence the last time we saw each other, and I think about her often.”
The Past Is Still Alive will follow 2022’s Life On Earth and is among Rolling Stone’s 28 Rock Albums We’re Looking Forward To In 2024. Hurray for the Riff Raff collaborated with Brad Cook (Waxahatchee) for this personal and poignant collection of songs from Segarra.