Neil Young has returned to the studio to record eight new songs with the Chrome Hearts, drawing inspiration from his criticisms of President Donald Trump, whom he calls the worst in U.S. history. In a March update on his Neil Young Archives website, he expressed frustration with politics while celebrating music's uplifting power.
Neil Young shared the studio update amid ongoing political discontent, describing current events as 'sad and depressing' and stating, 'I can’t do it anymore... We have the worst president in the history of our country. Every day a bad TV show produced by DJT is what we get.' Despite the anger, he highlighted music's joy: 'Now, thankfully, once again, I’m in the studio recording a new album with the Chrome Hearts. I love the songs and the feelings of life and love. Music is. So far we have eight new songs. They make me feel.'
This follows earlier criticisms, including a January op-ed blaming Trump's 'inept government' for unrest after a Minneapolis ICE shooting (see prior article in this series). Young has continued his activism: gifting his music catalog to Greenland for free in response to Trump's annexation threats (also criticizing Amazon and Jeff Bezos); joining Joan Baez, Bernie Sanders, and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on the 'Fighting Oligarchy' tour with anti-Trump songs; releasing 'Big Crime' targeting Trump as 'out of control'; and canceling his UK and European tour earlier this year to prioritize health.
