"It was as if we'd done something wrong"

On Friday, hip-hop outfit The Herd released their first new single in 11 years. Featuring Palestinian musicians Big Rigs and Mo, directed by Palestinian multidisciplinary artist Sereen Omran and with streaming royalties going to Palestinian childrens’ charity Olive Kids, ‘Soul of my Soul’ is an attack on the West’s complicity in the genocide in Gaza, and a statement of defiance that Palestine and its people will gain their freedom:

It was an interesting time for The Herd to release a new single. Elefant Traks, the independent record label started by Herd members in 1998, announced in March that it would be shutting down this year. For the last few months the label’s biggest names have been touring the country on a farewell tour, including shows at the Melbourne Recital Centre and the Sydney Opera House.

In April, Elefant Traks was asked to give a special performance at the APRA Music Awards, the annual awards ceremony of Australian music industry peak body APRA AMCOS.

“We were asked by Julian Hamilton [of The Presets] to do a medley of Elefant Traks songs for this year's APRA Awards,” says The Herd frontman Tim Levinson. “It was an honour that recognised our indie label's longevity in an industry that gives very little fucks about anything other than shiny things and major success. I was genuinely honoured.”

Given the opportunity, Levinson says, “we conspired to do something different with the moment”.

Elefant Traks’ performance at the awards incorporated expressions of solidarity with Palestinians. Levinson wore a keffiyeh onstage, and the label’s artists read out a poem written by a Palestinian woman who had to pull out of performing onstage due to fears of backlash from her employer.

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While the performance was well-received by the room, the reaction from APRA AMCOS was very different.

“APRA's response was really disappointing. It was as if we'd done something wrong — something naughty and disrespectful,” Levinson says.