ONO began Red Summer in 2015 and finished three years later. It is a record about Chicago, racial violence, and the long arm of history, starting with events as distant – and relevant – as 1619, the year the Dutch ship Pearl filled with African slaves appeared on the American East Coast. This is where the record begins – the unsettling, carnivalesque overture 20th August 1619. Frontperson Travis begins SOLD! 23 Negars! N-E-G-A-R-S!! FIELD Negars good as Gold! Money down! Its a jarring moment, but whats not jarring about the arrival of slavery? Ono frequently packages disturbing lyrics or content into absurd, even catchy songs. Take the groovy funk track I Dream of Sodomy, an ONO live staple for nearly six years. P Michels earworm bassline is a persuasive siren, so much so that when the chorus – I Dream of Sodomy repeated multiple times – hits, somehow its hard. Red Summer by ONO