Standout Track: No. 2 “Locked Gates/Lonely Roads,” a socially conscious post-punk anthem that hurls a few power chords into the rotten maw of United States immigration policy. “But who’s to question the legality?/Convenient for economic policy,” sings guitarist/vocalist Scott Wilson. It doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue like “Rock the Casbah,” but Wilson’s devotion to the cause is such that he still pulls it off.

Musical Motivation: Wilson, a labor researcher living in Ledroit Park, wasn’t much of a fan of how we control our borders, but it took special circumstances to get him incensed enough to start singing about it. “Certain people I’m close with are in illegal immigration situations, so when it became personal I read up on it more and that shaped the way I felt about it,” he says. “They can’t even go home to visit their families, because unless they come back illegally, they can’t come back. It’s a huge risk [for them].”

Hide and Sing: The Electricutions isn’t Wilson’s first band—he’s played in punk bands, usually as a drummer, since his teens—but this is the first band where he’s been the primary songwriter. Thus, snuggling up to the mic took a little bit of getting used to. “It can be difficult lyrically, because I’m framing ideas for the entire band as well as myself,” says Wilson. His solution: not showing his bandmates the lyrics. “I write them and then that’s kind of the end of it, since I’m going to be singing it,” says Wilson. “Our record is coming out and the bass player was joking about it, saying that [up until now] he had no idea what I was saying.”