Climbing higher than ever before, Mountain Party have returned with “Hell, I Don’t Know,” the band’s first new music since 2020. A giant boulder of heartfelt rock and roll, the song moves at a blistering speed before landing somewhere near Pedro the Lion and the Menzingers. Mountain Party don’t hold back as they unleash their frustration with the state of the U.S. — specifically in the South, where the prospects of economic security continue to dry up with each passing day.

Formed in the heart of Georgia and the foothills of the Appalachians, the Atlanta-based outfit is often inspired by the working class, and the everyday tragedy and celebration of American life. They’ve always delivered a punch of grittiness behind their sound — but “Hell, I Don’t Know” just might be the group’s most dynamic and lush track to date.

The song title may seem slightly misleading at first, as “Hell, I Don’t Know” is a phrase often spoken with a shrug of the shoulders. But instead, Mountain Party bare their hearts on the rollicking tune, with vocalist/guitarist Justin Green bluntly addressing the country’s woes amid rousing instrumentation performed by his four fellow band members. The terms “Mountain Party” and “apathetic” are mutually exclusive.

“We want to get better/ But it’s quicker to quiet the pain/ Conditions are slipping/ We’ve gone and made every mistake we can make … What more could there be? Hell, I don’t know,” Green sings urgently, almost to the level of a shout.

Listen to the Big Takeover’s exclusive stream of the song right here:

“I wrote this song when Trump was still president and quickly sketched the verses,” Green exclusively told the Big Takeover. “I wanted to first address bad men directly; then tell a quick story of someone who has been continually held down by circumstance; and finally, to address my own feelings.”

“It’s a bit of a departure sonically — but the subject matter is pure Mountain Party,” Green continued. “There’s an undercurrent of anger, but also hope. I think it’s very easy to stay cynical and not see a light at the end of the tunnel for America, but most humans are naturally hopeful. I wanted to illustrate that cycle of feeling angry, hopeless, resigned, but then hopeful again. Next year will be better. I think we have to hold on to that for at least a little longer, even if it’s all truly going down.”

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