Pleasures of the Flesh is a post-punk band from Louisville, Kentucky (home of some of the greatest art punk of the last 35+ years) that is trying to cultivate a punk community with “equality and kindness.” To that end the group wrote the song “Passover” as a way to address the curiously lingering cultural feature of white supremacy as a stumbling block to a just and open society. The refrain of “over and over and over” reflects the weariness with how white supremacy really should have been in the rearview at this point in history but for a variety of reasons some people cling to such regressive outmoded ideas even when it is simply used to manipulate them against their own natural interests to stay in conflict with people who live on the direct delivery end of its effects. And when something is pervasive, especially when some people think it’s subtle, it pops up in odd and often hideous ways obvious to anyone that doesn’t have a stake in perpetuating white supremacy. The song goes into some of the complexities of the issue without mincing words and that is not something one immediately expects from a post-punk band even though groups like Gang of Four, The Pop Group and Heaven 17 (to name but a few) tackled heady issues on the regular in their own music back in the day much as did Fugazi and bands like IDLES, Priests and Cheap Perfume do today with a creative and incisive flourish. This single and its wiry, evocative guitar work and impassioned vocals may have a touch of melancholy and atmosphere but its message refreshingly is direct and unequivocal without coming off as performative. Listen to “Passover” on Spotify and follow Pleasures of the Flesh on Instagram. The group released its Earthly Pleasures EP, of which “Passover” is a part, on Christmas Day 2019.
Queen City Sounds and Art 
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