Massive Attack unveiled their first new music in six years, the single 'Boots on the Ground,' featuring vocals from Tom Waits. The track, Waits' first original in 15 years, addresses socio-political turmoil in America amid protests and raids. It arrives with a video highlighting protest photography and plans for a vinyl release benefiting immigrant aid groups.
Massive Attack, the duo of Robert '3D' Del Naja and Grant 'Daddy G' Marshall, released 'Boots on the Ground' on streaming platforms on Thursday, marking their first output since the 2020 Eutopia EP. Tom Waits provides raw vocals, singing lines like 'Now who the hell are these federal pricks? Hiding in the Senate like a bloated-ass tick' and condemning soldiers as 'Brown, mean and young, dumb and full of cum.' His son Casey Waits also contributes vocals to the bluesy, atmospheric track, which repeats the haunting refrain 'Boots on the ground.' The accompanying short film features photography by thefinaleye, capturing Black Lives Matter protests and recent ICE raids, described as portraying opposition to state authoritarianism and police militarisation. Proceeds from the upcoming eco-friendly 12-inch vinyl, with Waits' spoken-word B-side 'The Fly'—his first standalone solo original in 15 years—will support the ACLU and Immigrant Defense Project. Waits reflected in a statement, 'One day many years ago I accepted an invitation from Massive Attack to collaborate... Man’s fiasco folly is a feast for the flies.' Massive Attack called it 'a career honour' to work with Waits amid 'an atmosphere of chaos' fusing authoritarianism and neo-fascist politics in the American emergency. Del Naja was arrested on April 11 at a Palestine Action demonstration. The group, known for activism including pulling music from Spotify in 2025 over ethical concerns, announced a European tour starting May 27 in Helsinki, ending at Fuji Rock Festival in Japan on July 26.