Music is by far the most effective way to send a message to the public. As long as the song is written with captivating lyrics and clean instrumentals, people are sure to listen. Living in an age with so much chaos plaguing the media, music can bring people together to fight the common enemy. 

But here is the catch when it comes to writing about global issues: it can get exhausting incredibly fast. Most bands tend to produce songs about the same issues. It is important to write songs about current issues, but when they are all about the same global leaders, it feels as if the message is watered down.

Not to mention there are a countless number of issues that need more recognition. Take the crisis surrounding ICE, for example, which pop-punk band Point North addresses in their new song, “No One’s Listening.”

In the United States, there are more than 200 detention centers and jails used by ICE to detain immigrants. According to Freedom for Immigrants, an organization working to abolish immigration detention centers, about 48% of immigrants are detained for two to four years. Along with that, 5% of people are detained for over four years. Only 7% of immigrants are detained for less than six months, 

Aside from the complete disregard for due process, one of the most prevalent issues in the centers is general abuse and neglect when it comes to injuries and illness. Thousands of immigrant children have gone missing at the detention centers and the media just brushes it off, making claims that they are not missing. If the children are not missing, then how and why are there so many unaccounted for?

Many celebrities have come forward regarding ICE and their detention centers, some even referring to the centers as modern-day concentration camps. While celebrities all have good intentions, most only make one social media post on the issue so they are not seen as complacent. 

On Aug. 19, Point North released “No One’s Listening,” a song that describes the revolting conditions immigrants face in the various detention centers across the United States. The song can be found on their new album “Brand New Vision,” released Aug. 21.

I have been following Point North since late 2018, and have watched the band gain followers, and get the recognition they deserve. In the two years I have been following Point North, I have noticed that their songs tend to take a more emotional route.

Needless to say, when I first heard “No One’s Listening,” I was immediately drawn in. I am no stranger to political songs — they are my absolute favorite. Songs that shine a light on issues that mainstream media are too scared to cover are my weakness. 

Bands like Anti-Flag have always been my favorite since they embrace the negatives in the world by turning the tragedies into art. Point North does exactly that — they take what is happening in the ICE detention centers and turn it into a heart-wrenching story.

The lyrics of the song emit such levels of rage that is almost surprising for Point North. Take the first line of the song: ”Lit by fluorescent lights, a cold floor on my feet and / each face is worse than the last.” Right off the bat, listeners are hit with a punch in the gut at just a sneak peek of the depressing conditions of the detainment centers.

For me, the chorus of the song is what hits the hardest. In the chorus, singer Jon Lundin describes the internal thoughts of someone who has been detained. The lyrics describe how the immigrants are trapped like animals and how they are afraid that they will not make it out alive, followed by their ultimate fear that “no one’s listening.”

Despite the raging lyrics, the vocals of the song are nothing short of beautiful. Lundin switches between his belting chest voice and his soft head voice effortlessly in the chorus which only adds to the overall emotion delivered by the lyrics. Vocals can either make or break a song. In this case, I think it is safe to say that the vocals make the song.

The music video for “No One’s Listening,” which came out the same day as the song, is more moving than the song itself. In the video, it shows a middle-aged Hispanic woman going on a jog when she encounters an elderly woman who appears to be having a heart attack. The woman stops to assist the elderly woman when she gets a flashback.

The woman’s flashback takes the viewers to a desert, presumably along the border between the United States and Mexico. We see the woman, now a teenager, helping her mother up off the ground so they can continue fleeing the border. Both the mother and daughter appear disgruntled, anxious, and covered in dirt.

As they run, the time of day shifts to dusk where viewers can hear men yelling and dogs barking as flashlights flood through the trees, shining a light on the now horrified pair. At that moment, the flashback ends and the screen returns to the woman helping the elderly woman off the ground. Sirens can be heard echoing in the background as the camera zooms in on the woman’s face before cutting to a blackout that says in bold font “ABOLISH ICE.”

I definitely got choked up from the video — the raw emotion in the actress’s face combined with the powerful song is enough to make anyone emotional. 

Even a week after the release,  “No One’s Listening” is certainly a fan favorite already. Point North has a decently sized platform that they use to spread awareness for things that mainstream media fails to cover. If Point North keeps up this political run, I see great success in their near future.