Photo credit: Brianna Griepentrog
The belief that abusers should be held accountable for their deeds may not sound all that controversial, yet it's been slow to take root in the music industry, which has a long, awful history of looking the other way. So it's always nice to hear a musician put themselves on the record calling for change, and Milwaukee's Trapper Schoepp does so vociferously on his latest single, " What You Do To Her," a rollicking Americana track from his forthcoming album produced by Wilco's Pat Sansone, Primetime Illusion.
"This song is about the epidemic of sexual assault and the ripple effects these attacks can have within communities," Schoepp told Billboard, which premiered the song yesterday. "The verses tell the story of someone who gets away with it and the chorus shows how we’re all affected by this—not only the victims, but their families, their friends, and the community as a whole. For too long men have stood on the sidelines and allowed this to become primarily a women’s issue. I think everyone has an obligation to call out behavior like this. It’s one thing to show solidarity behind the scenes but we need to be more vocal as men."
The song, which features Americana singer Nicole Atkins, is accompanied by a colorful video from Milwaukee animator Casey Hoaglund. The hooky melody and peppy video never undermine the song's conviction, though: Enabling an abuser in any way only perpetuates the cycle of sexual violence and abuse. There's no excuse for looking the other way.
You can stream the video below. Primetime Illusion is out Jan. 25 on Xtra Mile Recordings.
