Song of the Gay: CocoRosie - Smoke 'Em Out (feat. ANOHNI)

Every Monday through Friday, we deliver a different song as part of our Song of the Day podcast subscription. This podcast features exclusive KEXP in-studio performances, unreleased songs, and recordings from independent artists that our DJs think you should hear.

All this week we are celebrating Seattle Pride and PrideFest 2017 by featuring all LGBTQ artists for our “Song of the Gay” podcast. Today’s featured song is “Smoke ‘Em Out”, a self-released single by CocoRosie, featuring ANOHNI.

CocoRosie - Smoke 'Em Out (feat. ANOHNI) (MP3)CocoRosie was formed in 2003 by sisters Bianca "Coco" and Sierra "Rosie" Casady. They've released six albums, including their latest, 2015's Heartache City. Back in 2008, Bianca discussed with AfterEllen how gender and sexuality plays a part in CocoRosie’s music:

My sexuality is explored in my work, [but it’s] more my gender than my sexual preference. It’s really not about being gay or ungay, it’s about being yourself in a patriarchal, heterocentric, heteronormative, monotheistic world. It’s always the changing question and answer, and it’s the forefront of my work.

While performing, we have tried to present ourselves as glamorously as possible, and that sense of glamor is totally personal. There were many years when I was perceiving myself kind of as male and finding myself most attractive that way. Every time there’s a little bit of acting involved, it brings up this perception of male identity. I’m not as interested in portraying females. To be honest, the last couples of years, through feminism, I tried to embrace a more female identity because I felt like that was the more invisible thing that needed to be explored, but that’s not my go-to place. I started to think that this is not the empowered feminine dressing male. This is a result of the invisible female. I’m trying to take shape and find visibility, and so I’m going into the male body. I’ve been very suspicious of this for a little while. But as I’m suspicious and observing, I still allow myself to do whatever I feel like doing. There’s still a sense of observation and deconstruction, but I don’t necessarily censor myself.

CocoRosie teamed with transgender artist ANOHNI to release “Smoke ‘em Out” earlier this year for the Women’s March On Washington with the following announcement:

Today, we share a new song to inspire the weary-disappointed hearts of so many crest-fallen citizens. We just started working on a new album, but “Smoke ‘em Out” begged to be turned loose on the world now, as a means of participation during these turbulent yet invigorating times. Joined on guest vocals by our fellow Future Feminist ANOHNI, “Smoke ‘em Out” welcomes the new character who will be occupying the White House with a mob of women and children armed with forks and knives. In the wake of this un-natural disaster, we feel a call to rise, shout, and burn the house down.

Be sure to tune in to KEXP all week for more of the "Song of the Gay" podcast songs, and to find out more about the Pride events happening around Seattle, including KEXP’s Pride Party, this Sunday, June 25th, at 5 Point Café in downtown Seattle at the historic Tilikum Place park.