Last Friday, Death Cab for Cutie released “The Georgia EP” — exclusively on Bandcamp for one day only, with all proceeds going to Fair Fight Action, Stacey Abrams’ voter’s rights organization that promotes fair elections around the country through voter education, election reform, and combating voter suppression.
The EP netted proceeds of more than $100,000 within that brief window of time, according to figures released Tuesday.
WOW. Because of your generous donations we raised over $100,000 for @fairfightaction! This exceeded our wildest expectations. From the bottom of our hearts, THANK YOU for buying The Georgia E.P. and raising money for voting rights! Georgians, early voting has begun – please vote! pic.twitter.com/TUkpIY8jzl
— Death Cab for Cutie (@dcfc) December 15, 2020
The tracklist for the EP included new covers of songs by Georgia-spawned artists TLC, R.E.M., Neutral Milk Hotel, Cat Power, and Vic Chesnutt (full tracklist below) and seeks to recognize and support the organization leading up to the Georgia runoffs and in honor of their work throughout the entire 2020 election cycle.
The project was recorded remotely over four days in the band members’ respective home studios and mixed just a couple days later. “In a year where so much of what we love to do has been put on pause,” the band wrote in a note to fans, “it felt so good to be making music together again.”
Speaking on the inspirations behind the project and their partnership with the organization, Ben Gibbard said, “We created this exclusive e.p. of songs by some of our favorite Georgia artists for our friend Stacey Abrams and all the hard-working people at Fair Fight Action. We strongly believe in the work Fair Fight has done to assure free and fair elections in Georgia and beyond and have been honored to assist them throughout the 2020 campaign.”
Throughout the duration of the COVID-19 pandemic, Gibbard has helped raise over $250,000 in donations and supplies for various Seattle-area relief organizations via his series of at-home livestreams. He has also released two new singles during this time: “Promixa B” and “Life in Quarantine,” with the former debuted in April during the Smithsonian’s National Air & Space Museum virtual concert Space Songs: Through the Distance and the latter composed for Seattle alt-weekly The Stranger’s A Message to the City series in late March. Net proceeds from the release of “Life in Quarantine” benefitted the homelessness-support services nonprofit Aurora Commons, a welcoming space for unhoused Seattle residents to rest, prepare a meal, connect to resources, and collectively create a healthy and vibrant community.
The Georgia E.P. TRACKLISTING
- Waterfalls (TLC cover)
- The King of Carrot Flowers, Pt. 1 (Neutral Milk Hotel cover)
- Fall On Me (R.E.M. cover)
- Flirted With You All My Life (Vic Chesnutt cover)
- Metal Heart (Cat Power cover)