On March 4 the Rare Americans North American Tour came to Soundwell with openers Hotel Mira and Shuana Dean Cokeland. K-UTE writer and longtime Shuana Dean Cokeland fan Elizabeth Griffee attended this show and interviewed Cokeland.
Shauna Dean Cokeland, or SDC, is a 21-year-old, bleach-blonde self-described “ex-emo kid” from Maryland. She started as a musician on TikTok in 2020 when a video of her singing an original song, “Moving in Place” went viral. Fans were instantly obsessed with the midwest-emo punk revival ballad that SDC sang passionately while playing her guitar covered in BoJack Horseman character stickers. The song was officially released a year later as SDC’s debut, following high demand from fans who posted viral covers and leaked audio files.
“Moving in Place” showcases everything that makes SDC so special. Her lyricism is grounded in nostalgia, articulating emotion that cannot be put into words while retaining a concise and beautiful quality that conveys layers of homesick melancholy and serene contentment. Cokeland sings,
“The world just ain’t ready for us yet, that’s it”
Says the guy to your left, you would die for that kid
Watch his eyes as they get sorta distant and different
And we’re moving in place again, we’re moving in place again
It sure is fun to hate something you’ll love when it’s gone
This time, it’s everywhere and everyone at once
From moving in place to moving on
SDC’s sentimental words are sung in her refreshingly novel style that somehow blends traditional drawn-out notes with rapid-fire line riffs that come close to rapping while being undeniably distinct from the genre. She riffs,
Unfairly pass the blame and claim it was generational
Predisposition tourney prestigious, invitational
Like, don’t look at me I wasn’t even conceived
When the scheme, the game became operational
SDC sings with a compelling sound as her vocals and timing avoid polished perfectionism in a way that feels intentional and genuine, mirroring the likes of fellow indie emo-rock bands McCafferty and The Front Bottoms. After just one listen it’s apparent that her songs sound different every time they’re played, but SDC’s inconsistency is the kind that indicates quality rather than sloppiness, like home-made food compared to mass-produced non-perishables.
A key aspect of who SDC is as an artist is her outspoken political involvement, which has not diminished as her platform has rapidly expanded. She has always been publicly outspoken even for movements that advocates are scrutinized for such as Palestinian liberation and trans rights. SDC paused the music in the middle of her set and used the time and attention to appeal to these larger causes in a coherent 2-minute speech that offered real community-based solutions to the unstable state of America.
“I want to share something from this book that really inspired me. This was written by Huey P Newton, the co-founder of the Black Panther Party. In his book, ‘Revolutionary Suicide,’ he compared the Black Panther party’s programs to a raft and essentially said that people can’t organize and physically fight back while they’re drowning in poverty and exhaustion, and what communities need in the meantime, is a raft. I know nobody has a lot of free time right now, but that’s on purpose, because there was a time when education was more accessible and the cost of living wasn’t so damn high, and people could get together and demand things of their government,” Cokeland said.
SDC’s actions continue to support her words as she collected donations at her merch table to support a local immigrant family from her hometown in paying for an immigration lawyer. In a post-show interview, I asked SDC why she finds it so important to incorporate activism into her music.
“I figure people are listening to me. So I don’t know if I should use that time just for me. Then I would feel like I’m acting on my own privilege. If people are listening to me, I want to be saying what’s important,” Cokeland said.
SDC writes about her political resistance in her recently released demo, “The Rest of Them.”
“Gravestones barely laid
The show is smiling picture on the evening news at eight
Saying, ‘violence ain’t the answer when will people learn?,’
But in a million different churches a million candles burn
For a million different people who waited for their turn
In Baltimore
And in LA
And in New York
And in Houston
And in Gaza
And in Haiti
And all across the planet
When your only claim to freedom is easily denied
You work yourself to death just to keep yourself alive
Haven’t picked a gun up since 1965
The changes that they promise us
The rich men all attest to them
I hope we get the rest of ‘em
I hope we get the rest of ‘em”
“Please join a group like food, not bombs. Get together with your friends. Join or start a group providing jail support,” Cokeland said during her mid-set speech. “Ask your neighbors, especially your immigrant neighbors, what they need. You can only do what you can, but you can do it guided by the people who got it right.”
Today “Moving in Place” boasts over 40 million Spotify listens. Shauna Dean Cokeland has released nine other songs that yield over 63k monthly listeners. The Rare Americans North American Tour is her first-ever tour, and she is planning the release of her freshman EP, “Cokeland County,” by the time it ends.
“I just want you to know that whoever you are your life is a fucking gift to this world and you deserve dignity and safety and peace,” Cokeland said.