Hurray For The Riff is the project of Puerto Rican singer-songwriter Alynda Segarra. Segarra explained the motivation behind the name in a 2017 PBS News Hour interview: “The people who have gotten me through my life are the weirdoes and the poets, the rebellious women and the activists. They were considered the riffraff by people in power, and they’re the ones that make history.”
They just released their new album Life On Earth, the powerful follow-up to their exceptional 2017 album The Navigator. Self-described as ‘nature punk” the tunes off the new album heavily deal with environmental issues, along with other social ills.
The track “Precious Cargo” addresses issues concerning immigrants and refugees. Lyrics such as “We made it to the border. I jumped and I was detained. Split me from my family. Now the light begins to fade. They took me to the cold room, where I sat down on the floor. Just a foil for a blanket. For 17 days or more” and “I don’t know why he would lie on me. The man from the I.C.E. And I don’t know why he hate on me. The man from the I.C.E.” sadly continues to resonate.
Segarra has a gift of being able to express the humanity of the downtrodden. Shedding a spotlight on current turmoil is an important step in making needed changes.