We love you America. But like many loves, it’s complicated — especially in the Trump era.

How does one feel any sense of pride in our country when so much is going wrong? The rise of white nationalism. The increasing incidents of racism and anti-Semitism. The growing acceptance of cruelty. The inhumanity directed at undocumented immigrants. America’s fetish for guns, gun violence and macho culture. A broken health care system that values profit over people.

But as heartbreaking as America is today, there is also a reason for hope. Art speaks truth to power. And American art strikes with a defiant, fearless creativity that gives us hope in dark times.

Take, for example, the below 17-track YouTube playlist curated by yours truly and Teen Beat Records insider Chris Callahan (Sexual Milkshake). These slices of “American Independents” represents just a smattering of our favorites from the U.S. underground music scene. Most of them were recorded during another dark time — the Reagan years.

While these tracks aren’t overtly political, the bands’ artistic defiance of pop music norms can be read as a metaphor for rejecting the worst instincts of Gordon Gecko-capitalism and the Reagan regime. And we could all use a little more defiance right about now.

Our current political era has been referred to as “Reagan on steroids,” only worse. That’s a charitable way of putting it. But where’s there is art, there is hope. Even art made more than 35 years ago.

Feast your ears, then, on a soundtrack that rejects Trumpism and the worst parts of America. This is the soundtrack to our battle. A battle we will win.

Happy Birthday America! 

Devo – Modern Life (1981, Warner Bros.)