Scottish indie band Belle & Sebastian have shared new audio and video for the single “If They’re Shooting At You” to raise money for Ukraine‘s victims of war.
The band hired photographers in Ukraine covering the conflict in order to create a “visual collage” set to the music of the single.
“We got in touch with various photographers and creatives in Ukraine and they generously said that we could put their pictures to music. In creating this we aspire to show a hopeful, defiant side, as well as bringing an awareness to the plight of the people there.”
According to frontman Stuart Murdoch, all revenues generated from the song and video, including streaming, digital sales, and publishing royalties will be sent to the Red Cross‘ disaster relief efforts in Ukraine and for Ukrainian refugees in countries around the world. One of those services is called Restoring Family Links, where Red Cross will attempt to reconnect family members who’ve lost communication due to the war.
Murdoch asks people who want to help to send a donation to the UK Red Cross or any trusted organization working with Ukrainian war victims. Never give money to an organization you’ve never heard of, especially if they contact you directly out of the blue.
“The band had just started rolling out tracks for our new album, and it all felt a bit silly to be honest. We had one track called ‘If They’re Shooting At You’, it’s a song about being lost, broken and under threat of violence. The key line is: ‘If they’re shooting at you kid you must be doing something right’.”
Other musicians and bands involved in Ukrainian aid relief efforts include Elton John, Nick Cave, Arcade Fire, Iggy Pop, Green Day, Franz Ferdinand along with a growing list of others.
Belle & Sebastian’s 10th studio album, A Bit Of Previous, is set to be released on May 10th.