Let the shit storm begin...

Against Me!'s tour with Mastodon, Cursive and These Arms Are Snakes spawned the first official cut from their forthcoming Sire debut, New Wave. While "White People for Peace" has been available for some time as a live video on the band's MySpace page, it's exciting to hear how new material will (presumably) sound on the much-anticipated album. Backed with the non-album track "Full Sesh," White People for Peace is a real treat to any fan of the band.

But the real question remains: Is it any good?

It seems as though Against Me! has turned into an "album" band, placing a great deal of contextual importance into their songs -- at least it seemed that way with Searching for a Former Clarity. But judging these songs -- particularly the title track -- on their own merits, can't justify anything but a positive response, at least from fans of the band. "White People for Peace" isn't a surprise for anyone who has been paying attention. It's a road-tested hit in the waiting with a chorus that soars higher than anything off Clarity. A protest song about protest songs sounds like a trap waiting for any would-be lyricist, but anyone who's anyone knows that Tom Gabel has a way with words. The band and Butch Vig have managed to craft a big sound without it coming off too polished in any way.

"Full Sesh" is the exclusive track offered up on the 7". While "White People for Peace" pulls the listener in as the excitement boils over, it seems as though "Full Sesh" is continually building up to a peak that unfortunately fails to arrive at all. While the song is powerful and perfectly suited to a loud volume, it nevertheless ends up sounding somewhat hollow.

While the title track of White People for Peace is an exciting glimpse into what the band may possibly have in store for us this summer, "Full Sesh" is a decent track, yet one that was seemingly left off New Wave for perfectly good reasoning.