Gary Clark Jr releases new single 'This Land' as scathing indictment of Trump-era racism

'If I can do anything with my opportunity, and say thank you to Dr. Martin Luther King for sacrificing your life so that I can have a microphone'

(Getty Images)

Gary Clark Jr has released a new track titled “This Land”, confronting racism in the Trump era.

The song tells the story of living on “50 acres with a Model A/Right in the middle of Trump country” next to a neighbour who “can’t wait to call the police on me.”

Clark told Rolling Stone that the track was inspired by real experiences, adding: “I think it’s only right at this point in time, if you have a microphone louder than others, to speak out about that anger.”

“I haven’t been through s*** compared to my people. But if I can do anything with my opportunity, and say thank you to Dr. Martin Luther King for sacrificing your life so that I can have a microphone... that’s the least I can do.”

The video for the song was directed by 25-year-old filmmaker Savanah Leaf, filmed around Clark’s home in rural Texas and showing a young boy surrounded by the symbols of American racism, including the Confederate flag.

“This Land” forms the title track of Clark’s third album, due for release on 1 March.

The musician will embark on a US tour beginning on 9 March, with stops in New York, Nashville, and Chicago.

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